Exclusive Album Stream: The Watchers, High and Alive

What would happen if a riff-heavy, fuzzed out, stoner metal band hired Zakk Wylde on guitar?

“Zakk Sabbath,” you might answer. And that would not be wrong.

But what if that band performed entirely original material and sounded way more modern?

The Watchers!

On their new live EP, captured last September at Santa Rosa’s House of Rock, The Watchers have captured an energy that’s positively infectious. And, to the point, I can’t ever remember hearing so much shred in a stoner band before, and it’s fucking GLORIOUS! Big, booming, bong-filled riffs followed by searing pentatonic leads and guitar squeals — how come no one thought to do this until now? Of course none of it would matter if the songs weren’t catchy as hell, and thankfully The Watchers have you covered there, too; these jams are eminently hummable.

Says the band’s singer, our old pal Tim Narducci (ex-Systematic and ex-Spiralarms):

“We recorded the entire show last September in Santa Rosa, CA.  Some of the audio was compromised on certain songs, so we went through each track carefully and chose the ones that turned out the best. The 4 on this EP have great energy and vibe, they’re definitive of our sound and staples of our live set. Whats really cool are the inflections and nuances developed over the years of playing them in a live setting.”

High and Alive comes out this Friday, April 24, via Ripple Music; pre-order here, and stream it exclusively via MetalSucks below until then.