WATCHMEN – Watchmen [reissue]

Z Rock Records are re-issuing the self-titled album by WATCHMEN, with the band’s second effort coming out in a few days.
Watchmen hails from Argentina, South America, and despite of not being the most fertile land for this brand of melodious Hard Rock, I assure you these guys rock on par with the best.

Watchmen has been described as a mix of Whitesnake, Badlands and Burning Rain. Although the ten tracks on offer don’t sound as bluesy as the material from these bands, I can easily understand where the comparisons come from: lead vocalist Ivan Sencion.
He’s in possession of a strong voice not that far away from Ray Gillen, Keith St. John and / or David Coverdale, but the guy adds his own touch and despite his native language is Spanish, there’s not accent at sight.

Apart from stupendous vocals, Watchmen are a combo of superb musicians; love the rhythm section, the very well placed keyboards and special mention has to go to guitarist Emmanuel Lopez, man, this guy can play some serious licks.
The album opens with the awesome “Take Me Higher” mixing Whitesnake circa 1987 with Mr. Big in a thunderous melodic hard rocker. Killer song.

Midtempo “Hang On” reminds you John Sykes solo, while “One Step from Heaven” adds catchiness, a monster bass sound and clean (electric) guitars over a phrasing from Sencion akin Eric Martin. A melodic hard rock pearl.
“Safe” brings AOR to the table with fantastic synths as foundation, “Not Enough” returns to the Mr. Big territory (another great melody) but this time adorned with lovely keys, and “Time Is Over” go for a more classic hard rock territory similar to Badlands.

More quality follows with the mid-tempo AOR of “Time Is Over” (recalling David Coverdale’s Days of Thunder soundtrack), the catchy “Livin’ the Heartache”, and the groovy melodic rocker “Wings of Thunder”,
Watchmen returns to US AOR with “Man in a Hole” with a wonderful ’80s sound, ending the disc with the nuances of “On the Road”, featuring another strong lead vocal performance and a killer guitar work (as on the entire record).

Holy cow… where I have been when this album was released some time ago?
“Watchmen” is a terrific plate of classic US influenced Melodic Hard Rock with a British touch, all from the golden era.
There’s no boundaries for music: these guys may come from the most southernmost country of the planet, but they sound as good as the best exponents from the genre. Their second album coming soon on these pages.
Seriously, Watchmen are excellent, you need to check these guys immediately.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

01 – Take Me Higher
02 – Hang On
03 – One Step from Heaven
04 – Safe
05 – Not Enough
06 – Time Is Over
07 – Livin’ the Heartache
08 – Wings of Thunder
09 – Man in a Hole
10 – On the Road

Ivan Sencion – lead vocals
Emmanuel Lopez – guitars
German Leth – bass, backing vocals
Leonardo Palmieri – keyboards
Alan Fritzier – drums, backing vocals

BUY IT !
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www.nehrecords.com/shop/WatchmenWatchmen.htm
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