“Out Of The Dark” is the debut album of the Boston, Massachusetts band THE WATCHER, who have been around since 2016. So far, the only release I could find of them is a seven inch from 2021 called “Your Turn To Die”. The info that I received with the music states that THE WATCHER plays doom-tinged heavy metal outfit for fans of IRON MAIDEN, PENTAGRAM, TROUBLE and SATAN. What I can say that when I listen to “Out Of The Dark” the names that shout to me are last one in that list, followed by BLITZKRIEG and the first band listed. But what I would wish to tell you that the musical direction is all based and heavily influenced by NWOBHM. So, if you are a fan of that musical genre, you really need to check this out.

The main reason for the SATAN and BLITZKRIEG comparisons are not only down to just the music, but also because singer Paden Reed will undoubtedly remind you of Brian Ross. So much in fact, that if the main man himself ever becomes unavailable, Paden would definitely be a good substitute. But I don’t want to sell the musical side of THE WATCHER short, as these guys are well aware of their song writing abilities. Plus, they do keep up with what is going on in the world. You will hear a drum opening that will remind you of MASTODON (“The Revelator”), you will find twin guitar riffing that has a real IRON MAIDEN feel to it, but most of all you will find that the music on “Out Of The Dark” is all well put together.

Like I said, this is NWOBHM based, Doom inspired Heavy Metal with enough oomph to keep your mind occupied and working for over 36 minutes. I would have liked to hear more from THE WATCHER, but I have to say that I am quite pleased what they are offering on “Out Of The Dark”. In case you’re wondering if they are treading on new grounds, no they are not, but they are making the well-trodden paths very enjoyable but also easy to follow. “Out Of The Dark” makes listening to the good music of THE WATCHER a joy. Now I am just going to have to wait and see if these Americans are going to come my way (the Netherlands), so I can find out if they can match their studio music abilities in a live setting.