Review JAG PANZER ‘The Hallowed’

Jag Panzer belongs to the spearhead of heavy metal and their debut ‘Ample Destruction’ is a timeless milestone album to date. Unfortunately, the band disbanded in 1988 but returned five years later. Since then, Jag Panzer is a constant deliverer of great metal, even if the time between releases is rather long.

This time it took six years before new songs have been written, recorded, and released. After having found with Atomic Fire Records a new home, Jag Panzer recorded ten new and powerful metal anthems of which three have been revealed already as singles. It is the middle section of ‘The Hallowed’ that created extra excitement about the eleventh studio album of the veterans. ‘Onward We Toll’, ‘Edge of a Knife’ and the dynamic ‘Dark Descent’ are perfect representatives of the new album. These songs show the excellence Jag Panzer brings to the plate. A great groove sets the foundation. John Tetley and Rikard Stjernquist are Jag Panzer members since the early days, which guarantees a tight groove for Mark Bridy’s riff power. On the new album he gets support Ken Rodarte who recently joined the powerhouse from Colorado and replaced Joey Tafolla.

‘The Hallowed’ is a concept album and some of you might have a look into the comic book already which was unveiled in late 2022. The songs on ‘The Hallowed’ tell the story with Harry ‘The Tyrant’ Conklin being the singer and storyteller, in a way. Conklin is a master of his craft and a real metal singer. The width of his singing is enormous and of course it’s the high-pitch scream that makes him stand out from many other singers. On ‘The Hallowed’ much of his gifted voice is present too and it lifts the bar for others.

The starting point of this longplayer is a song called ‘Bounce As One’. It is a heavy and powerful opening and Jag Panzer sets the tone for what follows. In a way the song reminds of the Ealey days of the band and the furious guitar solo is something you shouldn’t miss as a fan of real heavy metal.

Due to the concept and the storyline some of the songs start with a spoken word sequence, like the pounding ‘Prey’, followed by the ferocious ‘Ties That Bind’. The latter has a melodic start before maiden-ish moments in the verse refer to the NWoBHM.

Rolling waves introduce ‘Weather the Storm’ which has a bit of progressive expression before ‘Renewed Flame’ kicks off the last couple of songs on this release.

Jag Panzer are veterans when it comes to powerful metal and the new record is another great addition to their discography. Working together for a long time allows them to play tight together and it is the expertise that makes the songs shine. Listening to this album is an extremely entertaining way to spend 53 minutes and I can ensure that a second, third,… round of spinning will follow as there are constantly some new details that want to be explored and unveiled.