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It’s probably never been researched,
but it is likely that Genesis is the most imitated band in the prog
world. Plackband, Neuschwanstein, The Musical Box and The Genesis
Project are just a few groups that name Peter Gabriel and company as
their biggest role model. You have to be good to be original in that
way. The early material from the band The Watch (‘Ghost’ from 2001
and ‘Twilight’ and ‘Night Watch’ from 1997) was not very convincing.
The vocals, especially, didn’t make a big impression on me. But with
this latest CD, they solved this problem. The vocals of Rossetti are
better than ever and can compete with Gabriel.
What is very noticeable on ‘Vacuum’ is the over abundance of
keyboards: the mellotrons, Hammonds and other pianos create a
whirlwind of sounds, unfortunately at the expense of the guitar. You
can hear Ettore here and there and he can really play some fantastic
Hackett solos, but there could’ve been more.
The somber piano playing on the laid back song, “Hills”, gives you
the feeling that you’re listening to a youthful Peter Gabriel. The
color of the voice even sounds like his did. The music goes full
throttle in “Damage Mode”. You feel like you’re completely in the
Lamb zone with the use of melodious prog interchanged with heavy
parts. Even more, you’re treated to Rossetti’s flute playing. The
mellotron sounds are assured to give goose bumps to every prog fan
and there’s a Hackett style intermezzo at the end as dessert.
What makes ‘Vacuum’ better than the first three CDs is that The
Watch has now found a balance between the complexity of the music
and the recognizeability of a song. The track “Wonderland” has an
incredibly catchy chorus. But there are consequences for the length
of some of the songs. There seems to be no place on this album for
epics such as “Firth of Fifth”. “Shining Bald Heads” is the
outsider. Apart from the usual influences, other references come to
mind, such as Kayak, 10CC (even Act…listen to the piano) and E,L &
P. It’s a very interesting song and proves that the band can branch
out into other directions.
“Out of the Lands” starts off with very calm singing accompanied by
an acoustic guitar and a synthesizer. Soon after that, the other
instruments chime in and it then becomes the usual Watch type song.
There’s heavy drumming throughout the whole album. The sensitive
play on the hi-hats and cymbals is fantastic.
“Goddess” is a relatively short song. It has lots of tempo changes,
twists and turns, a memorable chorus and excellent keyboard playing
(Wakeman, Emerson). This song is one of the high points on ‘Vacuum’.
The melodramatic “Deeper Still” is followed by the title track. It’s
a perfect synthesis of all what has been mentioned above. The Watch
still follows the source of their inspiration, but it’s certainly
not a copy of it. This album exhausts its strength through the use
of keyboards and vocals. They definitely demanded their leading role
on the CD. I bet that the other instruments will be spotlighted on
the next album and that The Watch will gain its own reputation. This
album is a pleasant surprise for me.
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