Of all the combinations and concoctions that make the world of doom metal such a treat to be in, its long partnership with anything stoner-related has got to be one of the most enduring and widespread pairings that the world of metal has seen since its inception. Even now, the popularity of such a combination has never been more popular as we see new bands from all over heralding the heaviness and riffs in with thick layers of smoke at virtually every turn, and it can be effortless to say that it’s become damn near boring after so long with it still in such overwhelming abundance. Yet, there is always something to be said for those who do it exceptionally well. Fortunately, we live in a time where there are loads of such examples to go around, but the quantity doesn’t once detract from the joy of seeing another name do it well with Watchman simply one of the newest in a long and growing line of names that continue to bring the smoke to the riff-filled lands in undeniable fashion.

Right out of the gate, Watchman is one of those up-and-coming acts that feels downright mandatory in the landscape of doom even despite it still being a relatively new name having only just released its first piece of material two years ago, but it’s since then that the one-man band has already put out an ear-catching full-length album. And it’s even then that it was only one year and one week later exactly that another followed. Time is typically the undeniable friend of new bands with it being all but essential when crafting fresh material, but that doesn’t seem to matter to Watchman with its second album, “The End of All Flesh”, nothing short of precisely what the witch doctor ordered in absolute excess. This isn’t your flashy, joint-lighting stoner act, either. It’s in every way that Watchman uses the smoke that follows as the instrument of destruction for all worlds that it comes upon as it takes no pleasure in the horrors that it proceeds and those that follow from its mere presence, yet it’s in every single one of the seven tracks that adorn “The End of All Flesh” that feels all but wildly captivating as Watchman achieves nothing short of outstanding glory on its sophomore album. Right from the very sight of the cover art done by the ever-talented MontDoom, everything points towards this effort being a typical run-of-the-mill effort of fog-wreathed riffs that stop at nothing for a damn good time, but it’s at every turn that Watchman defies and exceeds those expectations in what can only be described as a form that is nothing short of captivating.

Given the trajectory that Watchman has set for itself despite its short time impressing us since its inception, I don’t think it will be long before we hear from the mastermind again which makes the quality and magnitude of a creation like this all the more fascinating if you ask me. There isn’t a single shred of all that was brought forth in order to bring the cosmic smoke of “The End of All Flesh” that I would dare change for the ultimate wonders that it summons into our feeble realm with the future being all but destined to choke in the smoke that is to follow even as it still finds itself reeling from the monolithic power that Watchman commands.

LISTEN to “The End of All Flesh” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Watchman on Instagram here.