DO not judge a book by its cover. We have been taught this valuable life lesson since we were able to walk and talk. But never has it rang as true as in the case of the newly formed Durban North band, Become the Watcher.
By day the four band members are employed in seemingly ordinary jobs. The oldest member of the band, Bruce Mcnabb (31), is a marketing and communications liaison, Rudi Greyvenstein (29) is a musician (part of The Kickstands) and a music teacher, Rowan Vorster (29) is an architect and Paul Palmer (29) is a chiropractor.
But, by night (and over the weekends) their inner rock star alter egos cannot be contained. This passion for music has compelled them to start their metal own band.
Their mature, unique and modern sound has thrust their debut album, Paradigm (released in July) into the limelight of a very niche market. The band started to take form two years ago when two old friends Mcnabb (bass guitarist) and Greyvenstein (lead guitarist) moved back to Durban.
They then decided to host auditions for a drummer and vocalist. Vorster and Palmer would eventually fill those roles.
Thousands of hours have since been dedicated to the production of their studio album. “We recorded in about seven or eight different locations. We are very proud of the way it sounds, although we have received some criticism. We chose to create the album in digital format, to make the songs sound as awesome as they possibly can, so many purists or organics have said the songs would never sound like that in real life, but we aim to prove them wrong,” said Greyvenstein.
Criticism has also spawned from the band’s style of music. “We understand that metal is a niche market and that not everyone is going to enjoy it. “But, we urge people to take the time to read up on the lyrics before they judge us or our music. It is not all about Satan or about noise and being brutal. The lyrics have meaning,” said Palmer.
Become the Watcher is one of few South African bands who have opted to produce a full length studio album, before taking to the stage. “When we started we were unsure of how we would sound, so we started with Long Before, when we finished recording the song we knew we were on the right track. It was the song that just joined the band members,” said Palmer.
“We are excited to perform live. Our album has been received fairly well. At one point our album was leaked onto a Russian website where people downloaded more than 100 tracks within half an hour. It was weird and exciting all at the same time,” laughed Mcnabb.
