Jag Panzer: The Hollowed

Jag Panzer are legends in the Power/Traditional metal scene, and for good reason. Their debut album Ample Destruction is still thought of as one of the best and most influential albums in the USPM (US Power Metal) scene, and they delivered some criminally overlooked albums in the 90's and 00's to boot. The Hallowed definitely trends closer to their work in the early aughts, which for me is fantastic, because their 2000 release Thane to the Throne is still probably my favorite album of theirs, and one I remember listening to fondly in my teens during my formative years with the genre. Coincidentally, The Hallowed is a concept album like TttT was all those years ago, although this time the story was written by the band as opposed to ol' Billy Shakespeare. And it's a pretty cool story, to boot.

The Hollowed is a post-apocalyptic tale of a group of men that are accompanied by wolves, panthers, and eagles as they traverse the wastes in search of a new life away from danger and despair. The album was accompanied by a comic book, and each tells the story from a different viewpoint; the album is told from the animal's perspective while the comic is from the human point of view. Pretty cool way of handling everything, and I'm an animal lover so I'm always for some cooperation with our furry friends. It was an easy sell for me, conceptually.

Musically, it sounds like I took a time machine back to the band's creative apex 20+ years ago. The riffs are crunchy and run the gamut from speed and thrash to stop/start stompers alike. Speaking of turning back the clock, I have no idea how Harry Conklin still sounds exactly like he did when I was sitting in front of my CD player as a high schooler headbanging to these guys way back when. The Tyrant's power is still there in spades, and he still delivers his lines with charisma and his signature melodies that at times sound like he's cramming way too many words into a small space; in a charming way of course. The rhythm guitars are all punchy and thick, and the riffs are fantastic and catchy with plenty of variance across the entire album. The leads are great as well, with some of the best solos I've ever heard from the band (courtesy of new guy Ken Rodarte), but I do find that most of the melody leads (harmonies included) sound pretty thin and without much oomph. The rhythm section pounds and pulses nicely with some interesting and quirky drum fills and thumpy (and audible!) bass lines. These guys have been at this for a while, and it shows. Masters of their craft, really.

After a brief intro, opener "Bound as One" is a hell of a way of getting things started; with its speed metal riffage and double-kick onslaught. "Ties That Bind" is a mid paced stomper, and it is VERY stylistically reminiscent of "Thane of Cawdor" from TttT to the point that I almost chuckled to myself, but that song ruled and so does this one so I'm not complaining. The entire album is a masterclass of memorable but unique melodies and riffs, and it's hard to point out any particularly weak moments here, with the lone possible exception of final track "Last Rites". All of the non traditional metal instrumental bits are performed via keys, which sounds a bit off and cheap. I know there's not exactly a ton of money in the USPM game these days (or ever), so I feel for the Jag Panzer guys here. Still, you can easily see what they were going for and it works.

The Hallowed is of much higher quality than even I (a lapsed fan, admittedly) would have expected. The songs are consistently excellent and the little melodic touches and subtle intricacies that rear their head constantly are the kind of thing that only a band with the finesse and grizzled know-how of this veteran act could pull off.

Tracklist:
1. Bound as One
2. Prey
3. Ties That Bind
4. Stronger than You Know
5. Onward We Toil
6. Edge of a Knife
7. Dark Descent
8. Weather the Storm
9. Renewed Flame
10. Last Rites

Added: September 20th 2023
Reviewer: Brandon Miles
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 706
Language: english

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