Watcher – Mistress of Our Time (Firmamental Heavy Metal)
One genre that has greatly benefitted from modern-day production and sensibilities has been good, old-fashioned, unc heavy metal. We all know the greats, I need not name a single one, and even listening to old recordings from the late 1970s and early 1980s still feels timeless. One would think that repeating the formula long after would reduce the music to platitudes. But, somehow, the more the genre continues, and continues in the sense of persists, the more it seems to draw from the modern, reforming itself in subtle ways that defy quick explanation. Sweden’s Watcher be but one example, and one of the best in recent years.
And you can tell within moments that Mistress of Our Timer is another elevating moment for heavy metal. Now, to be real here, Watcher is not doing, as the saying goes, anything new. But, as hinted earlier, what they’re doing is taking the mold of heavy metal, smoothing out the rough edges over the years, filling it with gold rather than bronze, and perfecting the resultant sculpture through much polish. Required component: a central lead who can actually sing. And you have that, and more, here, to a degree that makes you give a simple phew. Once they part the firmament they’ve created here and let the riffs and solos streak across the expanse, you’ll be hooked. Every track has that heavy metal depth and pomp, but without a bit of the circumstance. They’d rather keep it genuine, ignoring theatrics for pure skill. And it shows.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Watcher – Mistress of Our Time
Dying Victims Productions
Cover Art: Max Warnby
4.7 / 5
