Musical Style: Melodic Metal	Produced By: Oz Fox
Record Label: Enigma	Country Of Origin: USA
Year Released: 1989	Artist Website: Guardian
Tracks: 12	Rating: 90%
Running Time: 49:08

The history of Guardian dates back to 1984 when bassist David Bach answered a musicians ad placed in a Los Angeles newspaper by vocalist and guitarist Paul Cawley.  The two proceeded to form the earliest incarnation of Guardian known as Fusion in which its members dressed in futuristic style body armor and played an innovative form of "space metal".  A six song demo EP entitled Rock In Victory soon followed, and once it made its way into the hands of Wes Hein at Enigma records, he showed up at the bands studio and offered them a contract on the spot.  Upon signing with Enigma, however, the band changed its name to Gardian, intentionally omitting the "U" to keep the spelling at seven letters in line with the Stryper numerology at the time.  With ongoing turnover at the lead guitarist position delaying the recording of its debut, guitarist Tony Palacios solidified Guardian's line up when he joined the band in the fall of 1986.  In 1987 Gardian placed the tracks "Marching On" and "Spiritual Warfare" on the California Metal compilation before recording a second independent release entitled Voyager.  Shedding its body armor and departing from the "space metal warriors" image in 1988, the band correctly changing the spelling of its name to Guardian.  Later the same year, after producer Oz Fox (Stryper) completed the To Hell With The Devil tour and finished recording In God We Trust, Guardian began work on its Enigma debut First Watch.

At this early stage in its career, I might describe Guardian as catchy eighties influenced melodic metal combining huge Stryper-like vocal harmonies with a top notch display of musicianship.  Cawley contributes a gritty but clean sounding mid-octave ranged voice in addition to handling rhythm guitar duties.  Palacios is a wonderful talent who brings out the best in the bands sound with his melodic flavored and fast paced lead guitar work.  Drummer Rikk Hart and bassist David Bach comprise a tight sounding rhythm section.

Due to the low budget cut for the album, Fox had the band spend two months in heavy pre-production, the hard work paying off in that First Watch showcases a refined and professional sounding production job.  The lead guitar evenly rises above the instrumentation, while the rhythm guitar sounds crisp and clean.  The rhythm section packs the needed punch and power.  The bands vocal harmonies - recorded in Oz Fox's bathroom! - are placed well forward in the mix but not to the point of being a detraction.

"I'll Never Leave You" opens the album with a huge commercial flavored melody line.  After beginning to several seconds of open air rhythm guitar, the song advances at an upbeat tempo until it gains further momentum for a catchy chorus backed by vocal harmonies.  Palacios tops things off with thirty seconds of stylish lead guitar work.

Set in motion by a bass guitar solo, "Mystery Man" takes off in a catchy manner as vocal harmonies continually repeat the phrase "Whoa-oh - whoah-oh".  The song proceeds through its first verse at a stylish mid-tempo pace until it culminates for a chorus with a huge radio friendly hook.  "Mystery Man" closes out its last minute to Palacios' tastefully done lead guitar work.

I cannot help but think that if Enigma got behind Guardian and pushed "I'll Never Leave You" and "Mystery Man" both songs, with their striking melodies, would have dominated FM radio and MTV.

"Livin' For The Promise" moves the album in a melodic hard rock direction.  Commencing to several seconds of rhythm guitar harmony, the song slows as a crunchy rhythm guitar drives it forward until it picks up in pace for a good background vocal driven chorus.  While certainly not bad from a musical standpoint, "Livin' For The Promise" does not quite hold up as well as the albums better material.

"Miracle", the albums lone power ballad, was originally entitled "Miracle Of The Galaxy" during the bands "space metal warriors" era.  A slow and driving rhythm guitar initiates the song before it slows to a near standstill as a quietly played guitar line carries its first verse.  Picking up in pace, the bands trademark vocal harmonies fortify "Miracle" upon attaining a strong melodic flavored chorus.  Palacios' emotional flavored lead guitar work matches the pace and feel of a song about God's love:

So look into space
Open your heart and feel
As deep as it's wide
The love of Christ is real
  
Several seconds of open air rhythm guitar introduces "Saints Battalion" as Cawley's voice gradually fades into the mix.  Accentuated by keyboards as it advances through its first verse at a mid-tempo pace, "Saints Battalion" picks up in pace for an energy-laden chorus that ranks among the albums best.  The song slows as deep sounding vocal harmonies repeat its title - Saints - battalion - Saints - battalion - battalion - previous to Palacios cutting loose with a blazing guitar solo.  "Saints Battalion" literally talks about being in the "saints battalion" with Christ as your commanding officer:
 
Standing with millions ever strong
We will forever carry on
Forces united for a cause
Knowing someday that He will come
So come with us
And you'll believe
Jesus power is supreme
Saints - battalion
 
Embarking to a drum solo, "Kingdom Of Rock" takes off in a fast paced fashion only to slow upon reaching its first verse as Cawley details the events surrounding the second coming:

I heard a crack of thunder
So loud it shook the ground
The lightning flashed and our mighty King
From heaven's throne came down

Picking back up in pace , "Kingdom Of Rock" moves on to a chorus highlighted by an abundance of up front guitar driven momentum.  The song tapers off to a choppy rhythm guitar as Cawley states, "I wanna hear that sound- lay a little guitar on me."  Several seconds of the albums best lead guitar work follows.
 
The laid back mid-tempo hard rock of "The Good Life" is propelled from front to back by a nice blues flavored guitar line.  Vocal harmonies move to the front of the mix in time to perfectly accent a very fine commercial flavored chorus.  After Palacios nails an enthralling guitar solo, the song slows to a near standstill as Cawley delivers by way of spoken word a message about emptiness of life in the fast lane:
 
This party's burning out
I'm coming down
I feel like I'm locked up in a cage
No one's around

The up-tempo "One Of A Kind" reflects an early Van Halan "California party rock" feel.  The song begins to several seconds of open air rhythm guitar before an acoustic guitar carries the first half of its verse.  Subsequent to an edgy rhythm guitar arriving at the forefront of the mix, it leads the way to a smooth sounding chorus bolstered by a polished vocal harmonies.  Bach's punchy bass guitar underlines several seconds of sharp sounding lead guitar work.

Getting started to several second of tight rhythm guitar harmony, "World Without Love" slows to a bluesy mid-tempo clip for its first verse only to pick up in pace upon attaining a chorus with a catchy refuse to go away hook.  Palacios adds a fiery solo only to return during the songs last thirty seconds with more lead guitar work underscored by double bass.  "World Without Love" touches upon social issues during its verse -

Another child is gone
The slaughter of the innocent goes on
We seek illicit passions
How many more fall to addictions

 - but point its listeners to the solution to those problems during its bridge:

Then glowing ever bright
Breaking through the night
The Almighty gives us life
 
Once a crisp rhythm guitar drives "Rock In Victory" forward hard and heavy, it builds and gains impetus before transitioning to a high octane chorus carried at an upbeat tempo.  A bass guitar solo opens an instrumental passage culminating with a minute of superlative lead guitar work.  The songs last minute comes across near mesmerizing as vocal harmonies continually repeat its chorus:

Rock in victory - no way you can lose
Rock in victory - only you can choose 
 
The guitar bouncing between the left and right channel at the start of "Hyperdrive" is soon joined by keyboards and a heavy duty bass line.  After the keyboards drop from the mix as the song reaches its first verse, they return at the end of a chorus driven in a laid back fashion by vocal harmonies.  Palacios' fiery lead guitar work comes across very reminiscent to that of Chris Impellitteri.  "Hyperdrive", as its title suggests, was performed by the band during its "space metal warriors" era and is a futuristic number about how God transcends the generations and is not locked into a time frame:

Your energy
Has strengthened me
You make me feel
So pure and alive
You're my hyperdrive

The song ends to a dual lead guitar trade off between Oz Fox and Palacios, Fox getting the better of the deal.

"Marching On" is a heavier but slower version of the same song appearing on the California Metal compilation.  Taking off to a hard hitting guitar riff, "Marching On" progresses through its first verse in an anthemic manner as Cawley adds an element of gritty to his vocal delivery.  An infectious commercial flavored chorus helps to place the song among the albums strongest tracks.  A neo-classical influenced guitar solo brings out the best in a song talking about perseverance:

Marching on - on through all the years
Marching on - through the pain and tears
Hold the Truth up high
Marching on - the crown of life our prize

In combining the bands top notch musicianship and catchy vocal harmonies with a solid production job, First Watch proves nothing less than a first-rate debut.  Nevertheless, it is the bands excellent songwriting that sets the album apart: I love the catchy melodies of "I'll Never Leave You", "Mystery Man" and "Marching On"; however, the guitar driven hard rock of "Rock In Victory", "Kingdom Of Rock" and "Saints Battalion" all hold up equally well.

In 2001 M8 Records releases a nineteen song compilation entitled Voyager & Fusion made up of tracks from the bands early independent releases Rock In Victory and Voyager.  While the material encompassing it is a bit rough around the edges production wise, the compilation includes different versions of many of songs appearing on First Watch in addition to several high quality tracks - "Voyager", "Across The Universe", "Prisoner Zone", "Look To The Future" and "Armored Defense come to mind - that leave you scratching your head as to why they did not make the final cut for the album.  Guardian had such a backlog of quality material in its possession that it could easily have recorded a very strong full length debut just after signing with Enigma and then wait until 1988 for Oz Fox to produce a sophomore effort every bit as good.

Review by: Andrew Rockwell

Track Listing: "I’ll Never Leave You" (4:31), "Mystery Man" (4:07), "Livin’ For The Promise" (4:08), "Miracle" (4:55), "Saints Battalion" (3:47), "Kingdom Of Rock" (3:25), "The Good Life" (4:41), "One Of A Kind" (3:33), "World Without Love" (3:55), "Rock In Victory" (3:49), "Hyperdrive" (4:17), "Marching On" (3:55)

Musicians
Paul Cawley – Lead Vocals & Guitars
Tony Palacios – Lead Guitars
David Bach – Bass
Rikk Hart – Drums

Guest Musicians
Oz Fox - Guitars

Also Reviewed: Various Artists - California Metal

Reference List
Arnold, Christy and Randy Rocker. "Guardian Interview." Take A Stand (June 1989): 1-2.
Mutillo, Dave. "First Watch review." White Throne 6 (1990): 17.
Van Pelt, Doug. "Looking At Guardian's Future." Heaven's Metal 20 (1989): 6-8.
"Guardian Biography." Voyager & Fusion. M8 Records (2001).
"White Metal News." White Throne 4 (1989): 4.