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JAG PANZER
The Hallowed

Atomic Fire (2023)
Rating: 8.5/10

When these full throttle headbangers released their debut full-length opus, Ample Destruction, back in 1984 there was every sign that the Colorado band would go on to achieve super stardom. Strangely, while still moderately successful, in spite of their power and consistency, Jag Panzer has never reached the dizzy heights and they certainly never stormed the 80s or early 90s after Ample Destruction. Even so, their discography should not be overlooked by anyone who claims to be a heavy metal purist and this latest addition to the catalogue is no exception.

With every album Jag Panzer give 100% and it shows through a sense of glinting steel and fury. This is true powerhouse heavy metal brimming with metallic majesty and swaggering from every angle. Twelve tracks, armed to the teeth with fury, charge at the listener like a veteran army of battle-worn troops somewhat immune to enemy fire.

I guess the main issue many listeners have had with previous Jag Panzer releases is that while they remain solid they lack a certain something to take them up the top league. I agree to some extent, but alongside other bands from the era, such as Desolation Angels, Holocaust, Overdrive and Kick Axe, Jag Panzer clearly peaked too soon. However, that was then and this is now, and what we get treated to on The Hallowed is another batch of sturdy responses that leave scorch marks on the stereo.

Just listen to some of those guitar lines such as on ‘Stronger Than You Know’ and you’ll feel as if predatory eagles are screaming from the sky. Meanwhile, ‘Edge Of The Knife’ plays out like some Euro power metal anthem, stomping hard with meaty mid-tempo percussion. Another similar example is ‘Onward We Toil’ which is both majestic and chest pounding. But for me it’s the more forceful and aggressive Jag Panzer that I prefer, although at whichever pace the band opt for their storytelling, especially on a concept opus such as this, remains masterful.

There is always an air of the bombastic about these guys, often due to the commanding vocals of Harry Conklin. ‘Bound As One’ is a fine speedy number and ‘Last Rites’ is rich, warm and brim full of textures, but the spine throughout any track is the steely percussion from Rikard Stjernquis who hammers away like no tomorrow.

From the mix of Jim Morris to the marvellous cover art of Dusan Markovic, The Hallowed effortlessly charges, pulsates and flows like a great and ancient icy river. ‘Prey’ exhibits varying tempos and a complexity, as does ‘Ties That Bind’ and with many thanks to the hard bass of John Tetley. As expected the riffs of Mark Briody are great walls of impenetrable steel which give space to the killer leads of Ken Rodarte.

Furious and consistent once again, Jag Panzer remains one of the genre’s true yet so often overlooked heavyweights.

Neil Arnold

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