During an appearance on the latest "Lead Singers Discussion" SLAM summit panel for Support Life And Music, hosted by Jack Mangan (Metal Hall Of Fame),WATCHTOWER singer Jason McMaster spoke about the current status of the reunited legendary Texas progressive metal band. McMaster is joined in WATCHTOWER's 2025 lineup by bassist Doug Keyser, guitarist Ron Jarzombek and drummer Ric Colaluca. Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been working on new WATCHTOWER material, which is… They haven't put out a record since '89. [WATCHTOWER's second album] 'Control And Resistance' was [released in] '89."
Regarding WATCHTOWER's touring activity, Jason said: "WATCHTOWER has five shows in September coming up, and we haven't played five shows in one month in 20 years or longer, because it's kind of legacy band kind of status anyway. We did Hell's Heroes [festival] and we did Keep It True [festival] and all that stuff. And then it's very spotted.
"WATCHTOWER I have a serious relationship with, because I kind of cut my teeth as a singer in WATCHTOWER," he explained. "We started in May of '82. That first record came out in '85. High Roller just put out this month our 40th-year-anniversary reissue of 'Energetic Disassembly'. So that's out now. And that sort of is weird because we just did all these gigs and about to do a bunch more."
In April 2024, McMaster spoke to 69 Faces Of Rock about how the WATCHTOWER reunion came about. Jason said: "It's been over a year ago now, but a wonderful man by the name of Christian Larson, who is an organizer for a fantastic American, Texan — down in Houston, Texas, South Texas — organizer, co-creator for a festival that mirrors something as great as Keep It True in Germany called Hell's Heroes. And I believe that they're looking at about a decade of annual shows, the Hell's Heroes festival. So it's been around a little while. It was my first time playing there, and I can't think of a better way to be on their stages than with WATCHTOWER. Because they had SOLITUDE AETURNUS, they had HELSTAR — there was a major Texas contingency for obvious reasons — but they also had CANDLEMASS and CAULDRON and MIDNIGHT, and it just goes and goes and goes. Last year, they had Tom Warrior headline two out of maybe all three nights because Tom has TRIPTYKON and TRIUMPH OF DEATH, et cetera. I think he did a HELLHAMMER set, he did a CELTIC FROST set. So it's perfect because it brings all of Tom's projects as well as resurgences of doom and thrash. And it was a perfect sort of baton to be passed to WATCHTOWER. But Christian Larson, bless his soul, contacted me. We have a lot of mutual friends. He sent me an e-mail, basically just something like, 'What would it take to get you guys to reform, to play 'Energetic Disassembly' album in its entirety?' And I have a bit of an opinion, and I hope I don't come off negatively when I say that I don't really like promoters suggesting or telling the bands, whether it's me or not, telling the bands what songs they are going to play. I prefer it to be the bands' choice for the bands' reasons as to why they play or do not play material. But I kind of let that go quickly because it was important to me, first to be invited. Second, I'll move on. The issues were immediately, it's like, in my head, I'm saying out loud, 'I haven't talked to those guys in a decade or more.' The last time I performed with WATCHTOWER would've been 20 years ago, in 2004. In 2010, a show that I booked, [WATCHTOWER's later vocalist] Alan Tecchio, under my nose, was invited to replace me to play Keep It True [festival] in 2010, which is a gig that I booked. But that's okay. Whatever. No harm done. And it's a small family. Whoever's been in WATCHTOWER, it's, like — I don't know. It's not like the turnover of members in WATCHTOWER has been 10 or 15 people; it's a small club. And I love Alan to death. So I was fine with it. But the point is that's what got the ball rolling. And then, almost immediately, maybe a week after it was announced that we were to play Hell's Heroes in Houston, which just happened a week ago, the phone started ringing, and Oliver from Keep It True was calling, and there were other smaller festivals and some stateside stuff. Anyway, so we played some warm-up shows. They went great, a lot of fun putting these songs back together with the guys."
WATCHTOWER played its first reunion concert with McMaster on September 8, 2023 at Fitzgerald's Bar & Live Music Venue in San Antonio, Texas. This marked the progressive metal legends' first appearance with McMaster since the band's performances at Germany's Bang Your Head!!! festival in 2000 and Holland's Headway Festival in 2004.
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In this edition of CHRIS AKIN PRESENTS... NEWS, Chris weighs in on Sevendust's upcoming 21st-anniversary celebration of their acoustic album, Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live. He poses a thought-provoking question: are these anniversary tours genuine milestones, or simply a modern necessity for bands to maintain a touring presence? Chris offers his perspective on this growing trend in the music industry.
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Seth and Chris dive into the fake outrage surrounding comedian Shane Gillis's ESPYs appearance. They'll expose the "delusional" WNBA players demanding more money and tackle other hot topics. Seth shares a personal story about an online argument that crossed the line, dragging his family into it. Finally, they close out with Donald Trump's surprising support for the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins reinstating their original names.
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On this episode of THE CLASSIC METAL SHOW, Neeley and Chris shred the ridiculous news that Slash (with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators) is announcing a new album set for release in 2027—more than 15 months out! The guys also review Whitesnake’s questionable “remastered” release of Forevermore, an album that flopped and wasn’t even that old. Finally, they crank up Testament’s crushing new track, Infanticide A.I., and deliver their uncensored takes.
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Derek Davis of Babylon A.D. joins Chris Akin for a no-BS breakdown of why 2025 is the year WHEN THE WORLD STOPS puts real rock back on the map. He dives into the creative fire behind the new album, how grunge killed 80s metal, and why he HATES the label “Hair Metal.” Davis isn’t holding back—this is the comeback conversation fans of real hard rock have been waiting for.
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What happens when a spider bite leads to a $4,000 bill? Chris and Seth go off on hospital madness, scooter negotiations, parenting headaches, and sleepless nights. It’s raw, real, and hilarious—packed with rants about life, money, and everything in between.
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