Band:	The Watcher
Album:	Out Of The Dark
Style:	Doom metal, Heavy metal
Release date:	November 29, 2024
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Out Of The Dark
02. Strike Back
03. Burning World
04. Exiled
05. The Revelator
06. Kill Or Be Killed
07. The Final Hour
08. Thy Blade, Thy Blood

The Watcher has been watching on long enough, and is now ready to unleash their debut full-length Out Of The Dark.

The Watcher is a US traditional heavy/doom trio formed in 2021 by Chris Spraker (drums), Max Furst (guitars/bass), and Paden Reed (vocals). Some of you may remember the band featuring in Clandestine Cuts Vol. 11 Issue #6 back in 2021 when, they released their promising debut EP Your Turn To Die. Their EP portrayed the band as a doom act with great potential, but the question now 3 years later is whether their full-length debut Out Of The Dark fulfils that potential?

The style of Out Of The Dark borders between heavy and doom metal, with The Sword, Pentagram, and early Black Sabbath perhaps among the most notable influences you'll likely hear, as well as Manilla Road and Di'anno-era Iron Maiden to a lesser degree. As you might expect from the names mentioned here, there's nothing overly original about the band's approach, and but that's not what this album or band is about. At just over half an hour in length, Out Of The Dark ticks all the right boxes for a trad heavy/doom record. The songwriting is catchy and easy to digest, meaning metalheads who prefer the lighter and more traditional side of metal should be at least pleased with what's offered here; there's more than enough catchy melodies to keep you hooked. 

There are 8 songs in total, with all except the closer being quite short, but out of these tracks, there are only a few moments that really make my hair stand on end. One of these few highlights is "Burning World"; there's nothing necessarily different to this song compared with the others on Out Of The Dark when it comes to its structure, but the ultra-catchy riffs, energetic rhythm, short classic solo, and chorus all contain enough delicious melodies to draw you in and keep you hooked. Another highlight worth mentioning is "Exiled", the band's crack at performing their own short and sweet ballad. It might not be the most memorable highlight of the album, perhaps due to its short length and repetitive nature, but it's an indication that the band aren't just about crafting heavy melodic riffs and driving rhythms.

The main highlight for me, though, is the epic 8-minute battle-ready anthem "Thy Blade, Thy Blood", a closer that also happens to be the heaviest and doomiest track featured. It makes for an ending to the record that should make up for any disappointment and unsatisfactory experienced up to this point, as once the tempo kicks in with a rousing rhythm, heavy melodic riffs, and exhilarating leads towards the end, those hairs on the back of your neck should finally rise, if they have not managed to do so yet.

Being able to stand out from the dense heavy/doom crowd these days is always going to be a tall order, and I'm not sure whether The Watcher has done what it takes to do so just yet. They have made an impression with this fine debut, though. Out Of The Dark does just enough to keep its listeners hooked through its abundance of melodies and epic heroic choruses, but I feel they're still held back from unleashing their full potential; I do believe that time will come, though.