Apart from the usual heavy or metal acts there were a few more intrinsic bands on the Noise Records label – the most famous of course Celtic Frost from Switzerland, who mixed opera singers, gothic concepts and glam rock with their Trash Metal sound (and who were initially signed as a laugh because the Noise boss thought their demo tape was the “the worst music I ever listened to”…).
And then there was Watchtower. In summer 1989 we were approached by label manager Birgit Nielsen to design a »metal cover that doesn’t look like a metal cover«. And no, there would be no band photo on the front – because »the boys look like Depeche Mode«.
So while the band was recording at Skytrack Studios across the street, we churned out sketches and cover dummies for an album probably to be called »Control And Resistance«.
Like these:





The final choice was a Weimar-style illustration of a tower combined with the angry dog from one of the early try-outs.
Next a big artwork was created.

1989 was the time of the multiple choice products – a new album was usually released as a vinyl pressing, a compact disc and a cassette. It was decided to show a different part of the artwork on the various formats, and the background was criticised as being »too arty«, so it was replaced by a picture of the local butcher’s cutting board. And yes, there were a couple of band photos in the end, taken in Berlin by Martin Becker.

NOISE 0140 was released in October 1989. A reissue is currently available from Cherry Red.