The Watchers Premiere “Haunt You When I’m Dead” Video
Californian heavy rockers The Watchers offered a darker turn to their core straightforward sound on their second full-length, Nyctophilia (review here), and as we move toward the close of 2024, the mood continues to suit and the songwriting remains sharp. “Haunt You When I’m Dead” — video premiering below — is a side B highlight of a record full of powerful hooks and commanding presence. As on their first album, 2018’s Black Abyss (review here), the band worked with producer Max Norman, who produced Ozzy‘s first three solo records, has worked with Death Angel and a slew of others classic and obscure over 40-plus years, and the sound both accounts for the raw soul of heavy rock in the vocals of guitarist Tim Narducci and pushes the boundary of aggression between rock and metal in terms of delivery.
This feels like exactly what “Haunt You When I’m Dead” wants to do, and honestly, the band — Narducci, guitarist Jeremy Von Epp, bassist Chris Lombardo and drummer Nick Benigno — have always come across more concerned with putting their stamp on traditional forms than trying to thread microgenre needles. On the record (which of course is streaming at the bottom of this post; not everything about the future is terrible) whether it’s the brash nod of “They Have No God” or the spacious roll that opens up as “Taker” progresses later on, The Watchers are unflinchingly solid and convey a style that’s both considered in terms of its craft — the songs are not lazily written or recorded and they’re not as tight as they are by coincidence — and that still sounds free in terms of the groove. It’s a balance one can trace back in well-made heavy rock for more than the last half-century, and Nyctophilia revels in leaning into bleaker atmospheres as the band succeed again in making classic methods their own.
The band have been plugging the release of the video for weeks now on socials, which I guess is how things are done these days, at least when you’re doing them right. In any case, to suit the immediacy of a cut like “Haunt You When I’m Dead,” I’ll put a cork in the blah blah blah and turn you over to the clip. I don’t know if this had anything to do with their motivation in making it, but year-end time is creeping up, and if this is The Watchers‘ way of reminding their fanbase of what they had on offer, fair enough. Otherwise, a bit of fog, the woods, a bit of Ouija ritual, I’m pretty sure Narducci gets murdered. All in good fun.
As always, I hope you enjoy. PR wire info follows:
The Watchers, “Haunt You When I’m Dead” video premiere
Directed and shot by Mike Sloat (Machine Head, Testament)
Following their 2018 debut album “Black Abyss” and the recent live EP “High and Alive”, high-octane San Francisco American metal purveyors THE WATCHERS are now ready to unleash their sophomore album “Nyctophilia” upon the world. Brilliantly capturing the foursome’s towering musicianship and anthemic songwriting, this new album melds the raucous spirit of classic heavy metal with sizzling guitars, loud grooves and Tim Narducci’s searing vocals. The Californian rifflords are back sounding louder and sharper than ever, ready to annihilate everything in their roaring path! “Nyctophilia” was produced and engineered by Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth).
Formed in 2016 in the Bay Area, THE WATCHERS is a conglomerate of members from Spiral Arms, White Witch Canyon, Black Gates, Systematic, and Vicious Rumors. The band signed to California powerhouse Ripple Music in the early days and released their long-sold-out debut EP “Sabbath Highway” the same year, which led to an invitation to play US major heavy event Maryland Doom Fest.
THE WATCHERS is:
Tim Narducci – Vox/Guitar
Jeremy Von Epp – Guitar
Chris Lombardo – Bass
Nick Benigno – Drums