JAG PANZER
JAG PANZER “The Hallowed”
By Theron Moore
I honestly can’t remember the last time I was this excited about a record coming out. JAG PANZER’s “The Hallowed” is set to hit the streets June 23 via Atomic Fire Records. I’m not a super fan by any means but I have followed the band on and off since the late 80’s. When PANZERwas listed as a headliner at Blades Of Steel Fest 2023 in Madison, WI, I was all in. It was even better when they announced they had a new record coming out early summer. There’s few bands that do melodic power metal as good as JAG PANZER do, and “The Hallowed” is 100% proof of that statement.
The first taste I got from “The Hallowed” came in the form of their single, “Stronger Than You Know,” which, like a lot of the songs on PANZER’s new record is pure power metal glory.
Combine Harry Conklin’s soaring vocals with Mark Briody’s fiery guitar work and the result is an ass kicking metal anthem which I’m sure will find a place in JAG PANZER’s live setlist for years to come.
“The Hallowed” is a concept record. I know, just mentioning that a record is or could be conceptual can be a turn off for some people but not in in this case. It follows the storyline of the band’s comic book of the same title which came out in late 2022. Get the comic and you’ll understand the narration in between songs, which is terrific by the way. The inclusion of a narrator is the perfect mechanism to not only tell the bigger story of“The Hallowed” but tie every song together in a smooth, cohesive manner. The hazard of doing arecord based on a book or movie is, does it live up to the hype, and vice versa? Does one do the other justice?
In this case the answer is a simple and resounding, yes it does. On its own, “The Hallowed” is a massive record with a huge sound which does metal proud. Couple it with the comic book and now it has mythology and presence. It’s become a world with a history.
If you haven’t guessed already, I love “The Hallowed”. Not only does it succeed as a sonic complement to the comic book, it’s a great, well rounded record which isn’t afraid to break away from the trademark power metal sound and explore the more complex epic metal soundscape --and pulling it off, I might add. Listen to “Renewed Flame” and “Last Rites” and tell me otherwise.
For me “The Hallowed” is the number one record of the year, any genre of metal. It’s a five star effort. Patch it on and preorder the record now. I’d put “The Hallowed” right up there with HAMMERFALL, HELLOWEEN, and IRON MAIDEN any day. As much as I enjoy PANZER’s back catalog, this record is my favorite. I look forward to seeing JAG PANZER live later this year.