Release date: 22 May, 2025

Fresh off of the release of their 2024 debut album “Key to the Unbreachable” and the EP “Glory and Agony” released back in January of 2025, Sweden’s Watcher unleashed another EP through Turborock Productions. With members from both Lethal Steel and Master Massive, Watcher are anything but rookies.

Line-Up
Viktor Gustafson- Vocals
Oscar Nyberg- Bass
Jakob Nilsson- Drums
Max Warnby- Guitars (lead)
Malte Bergman (rhythm)

Review

“Blodad Tand” featured a very 70s hard-rocking vibe, with guitars that felt ripped straight outta the era. While not a Swedish speaker, of which this song is sung in entirely, I did find myself really loving the melody of the vocals despite the language barrier. I also have to shoutout the onslaught of bass throughout the track, while it’s nothing insanely technical, it is a consistent barrage and very reminiscent of Steve Harris’ playing style, especially with earlier Maiden.

“Avenger of the Lightning Flash” kept the 70’s flair strong, but featured English-language lyrics. While it was a bit of a hurdle at first to acclimate to, it wasn’t long before I connected with the harmony that wasn’t really lost despite the change in language. This one reminds me, not of a particular band, but more of a pseudo-style, it’s very obscure 80s Euro metal. Like the stuff that would eventually become power metal and speed metal, but from before that and not NWOBHM thinking like Heavy Load, Sortilege, Killer (the Swiss one), and Killer (the Belgian one). Shoot, the chorus of this one was addicting as hell! An easy standout for certain!

“Beneath the Burning Sky” featured a quicker pace, with a guitar tone that felt Rush-like. Love that sequence at a bit after the 2 minute mark, great emotion. Oh, also adore the sound of that solo! While the drums are a touch cymbal-heavy, they’re not so much as to be over-bearing and in fact add a bit to the hastened pace of the track itself. I must also commend Gustafson’s vocals, not just in this track, but also in the previous two. He has a sort of addictive nature to his delivery that I found oddly refreshing.

“Raider of the Silver Moon” opened with a riff that I thought was very Priest-like, which is another band that this reminds me- 70s era Judas Priest. The recurring sequence in this one was a total doozy, impossible to not bop along to, and yet not long after each instance of it did another piece take me by storm. This is a track rife with layers upon layers, like an onion (… or an ogre).

Conclusion

Watcher’s second EP this year surprised me a bit, in a few different ways. Firstly, I recall not being able to really feel “Glory and Agony” or the debut album, but this one connected with me quite a bit. It had a sort of raw and pure sense of triumph to it in a way that made it special to me. I also appreciate that, in a niche genre that can often feel rote and diluted, that Watcher have managed to create a sound for themselves that makes them stand apart from the droves of Maiden and Priest clones. While it’s impossible for something like NWOTHM, that by its very nature is similar to past genres and movements, to be wholly original, “Chains of Crystal” manages to pay homage to the titans of metal of olde, but without feeling derivative or lazy. This one has definitely earned my seal of approval, and I’m more than happy to add it to my collection.

TheNwothm Score: 9.5/10

Links

Bandcamp: https://turborockproductions.bandcamp.com/album/chains-of-crystal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555217250964&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watcher_swe

Label: Turborock Productions