This is a challenge for me...one of those things that never crossed my mind before. Tell me if I'm wrong, but how can I judge piece of art of a musician that blew my brains out and brought Progressive/Technical music into my life, when I dared to listen his main band's last release? How on earth can I possibly rate or even talk about Ron Jarzombec, when he's been a part of one of the most extreme, paranoid, wrathful and shocking bands of all time?
For those who are into Progressive, they know very well what WatchTower mean to this music genre but almost none of them (us) can describe in words the feelings created by their music. Ron Jarzombec had taken part in the band's second twisted and schizophrenic album, Control & Resistance, the album that gave them recognition (not as much as they deserved - they'll propably never get enough) and created a myth behind their name, although their debut is way more superior but unreasonably hard to find.
After the band's sudden and unfair collapse, the band members' presence in the music scene was fiddling. But dear friends for how long can you keep quiet a musician armed with a dose of talent originally destined for 100 people?
The Big Bang came in 1997, when Ron accompanied by his brother Bobby (Riot, Halford, Iced Earth, Juggernaut) and bassist extraordinaire Pete Perez (Riot), released the fully instrumental Ink Complete and fluttered all over the progressive community. Compositions with consecutive rhythmic changes that look more like mathematical equations, brought sadness and depression upon the future virtuoso wannabies. The musicality? Ultimate, though very hard to adopt because of the material's nature.
Musically speaking, things haven't changed to a dramatic point. Ron smiles mischievously to all those who 've portrayed Yngwie Y.Malmsteen and shows that talent doesn't box in playing billions of notes within just a few seconds. The guy simply has passed into another level, superior and incomprehensible for the human being. Bobby causes nervous laughter with his astonishing and extraterrestrial playing at the same time,  when the listener tries to find a logical coherence to a kind of music out of the usual.
Oh...I forgot to mention something. They do have a vocalist now. Big deal..., I hear someone out there saying. Wait a minute my dear fellow 'cause the microphone torturer is none else than his majesty, the most whacky, haunting voice of all time. The man behind Energetic Disassembly (WatchTower debut), the man who spit at society's face the most protesting, anarchic (without nihilism) and acrimonious lyrics and awakened every restless consciousness. His name; Jason McMaster.
So, what else should someone expect from this release? Are more reasons required for you to purchase it? Very well then...hold your breath and keep on reading. Daniel Gildenlow (Lyrics in Melissa's Friend), Marty Friedman, Jens Johansson, Doug Keyser (I'm gonna faint), Sean Malone (I give up) and many others make this release a gem of the music industry.
I feel more than lucky to have it, more complemented as a listener, as a music fan. Those of you, who tend to enrich your hearings and have 'trained ears', should definitely obtain it, if you haven't done that already. To the others, it might sound 'problematic' and not even interesting. One thing is for sure, this guy is a lunatic but we love him!