Combining previously released singles with a new song, Concepts of Math: Book One frames the unexpected return of Austin 1982-born prog metal pioneers Watchtower. Fielding the Alan Tecchio/Ron Jarzombek version from 1989’s Control and Resistance, the mini LP works best as a time capsule. Fleet-fingered pyrotechnics by Jarzombek and bassist Doug Keyser haven’t lost a step, while Tecchio’s high rasp comes thawed from a cryogenic chamber. The band’s complex thrash wails as if grunge and metalcore never happened; the tracks’ dry production emphasizes the sense of timelessness. Sneaking hooks into brain twisters, “The Size of Matter” and epic “Mathematica Calculis” serve notice that Watchtower still slays.

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This article appears in November 18 • 2016.

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Michael Toland started writing about music in 1988 on the Gulf Coast, moved to Austin in early 1991, and has inflicted bylines upon the corporeal and digital pages of Pop Culture Press, The Big Takeover, Blurt, Amplifier, Austin.citysearch, the Austin American Statesman, Goldmine, Sleazegrinder, Rock & Roll Globe, High Bias, FHT Music Notes, and, since 2011, The Austin Chronicle.