Tyrants

The annals of metal history are full of stories of bands that would have been, or should have been among the elite and the few, the celebrated and the rich. Some of these acts dropped off the face of the planet, some saw that metal had new life in later years and decided to give it another go, others went through a roller coaster of bad and good decisions, found a second wind and went on to a fairly successful career despite all odds. Jag Panzer of Colorado falls firmly into that last category, because while the band started off with only the sky as the limit, their first attempt to regroup was an astounding failure, and then, reuniting with their original vocalist in the later 90s, they managed to initiate a streak of new output with the help of high visibility metal label Century Media.

The Tyrants EP, named for the band's original moniker (there were already too many Tyrant bands out there) and adopted by Harry Conlkin as a stage handle, was a pretty potent, if endearingly silly piece which arrived in a year when metal was truly starting to kick into gear with the emergence of thrash. As if in unconscious rebellion, Jag Panzer were one of the few bands to arm their traditional metal missiles with some true balls, upping the ante for the droves of NWOBHM influenced acts without ever abandoning their influences. The prime distinction of this band has always been Conklin, for the large range of expression he places in his performance, from angst-ridden Bruce Dickinson-like heights (more prevalent on Ample Destruction) to vicious and acidic sneers and screams, shrill shrieking and a manly 'whoah whoah' that is often joined by the backing shouts of the band. However, let's not take away from Mark Briody's relentless riffing, aggressive alterations on Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and other metal staples.

Tyrants feels fresh, innocent, and surprisingly, it endures to this day as an example of classic USPM done justice, even if its not the band's best work. Samples of warfare herald "Battle Zones", a savage and dirty brawler above which Harry's vocals bounce to and fro in nearly schizoid patterns that are both hilarious and quite unforgettable. "Death Row" opens at a slow triplet trot, picking up with drums as Conklin creates a manic circus asylum of half narration, half howling, with an effect not unlike earlier Overkill on Feel the Fire or Taking Over, which came a few years later. "Metal Melts the Ice" is based on a cruel riffing pattern which just begs the listener to begin a fist fight, a primal simplicity joined with some delicious if fragile fills before the uncouth lead erupts. The fourth track on the original release of the EP, "Iron Shadows" is about the most ludicrous thing the band would offer in their early years, with a very rustic, medieval tone to the guitars which pound along like early Maiden, fantasy lyrics loaded with character and an almost absurd narrative quality.

The track later added is "Tower of Darkness", with a slightly more grimy production and horrendously silly lyrics about some witch or vampire chick waiting to seduce the Tyrant. Its all in good fun, but not up to the standards that dominate the core tracks of the release, and thus might be better passed off as 'invisible' when one decides to reminiscence on the cutting steel of the original release. Basic heavy metal, not offensive but too corny even for Jag Panzer. This is really the only complaint though, because Tyrants is ultimately a fond introduction to a band that would one year later release one of the most underrated and timeless efforts in all classic US metal, improving in every possible category over what you'll hear on this.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Jag Panzer probably doesn't need much of an introduction. While the legendary Ample Destruction has become a staple release out of the bands success, this EP rightfully gets quite a bit of acknowledgment from a lot of fans as well. Every band has a beginning and the dark venture here was this Jagdpanzer tank's intro to the world of stardome. (From here on AD = Ample Destruction, just to shorten it for simplicity).

This EP really is a great piece of classic heavy metal, a very essential release I'd recommend to any Jag Panzer fan or just metal in general. Very NWOBHM influenced with a tone of its own, this was somewhat of a precursor to what AD would become. The general feel to the music is rather dark and sometimes evil thanks to the production, which is extremely top notch for an EP. Most songs on here are heavy mid-tempo tracks and sometimes pretty fast for 1984, all the guitar riffs and rhythms come out very swiftly and are fairly original along with some great solo's. Then there's the almighty Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin whom I'm sure you've all seen me praise by now, but just like Cyriis on Agent Steel's debut, Conklin hadn't completely perfected his craft just yet and at times has these odd "raspy" notes that come out pretty weird. This is especially prominent all over Metal Melts the Ice (the screams sound really distant and odd too). Even so, Conklin delivers one hell of a performance and you just can't help but love the aggression he brings in to the music (check out that scream at the start of Death Row, "Hear the sound like a battering RAAAAM!"). Everything and everyone is definitely in place here.

Battle Zones, Death Row, and Metal Melts The Ice are great dark NWOBHM styled offerings, while I believe Iron Shadows hints to what kind of direction they'd take with AD. Somehow even Conklin's vocals tend to sound magically more professional on this track as well. The song is very driven by the guitars and the catchy mesmerizing harmonies, hooks, and leads, which was a huge focus for several tracks on AD, comparable to tracks like Warfare and The Watching. It might be easiest to say if this song appeared on AD, it wouldn't have been out of place at all. The final track Tower of Darkness I'm assuming was just copied over from their 1981 demo where it first appeared, since the production is a bit thinner on it. It's a simpler track and symbolic for its time, rockin' and really classy with some great vocals from the Tyrant.

For those who still haven't picked up Ample Destruction, the most common bootleg of that album these days is from 'No Posers' in which this EP is added to the disc at the end for bonus tracks. So if you don't have either I'd definitely recommend picking that up, doesn't fetch for a whole lot either. This is a fine piece of heavy metal history and should be looked into for fans of any kind. If you don't the Tyrant may hunt you down with his nail-spiked bat!

Jag Panzer is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands, especially after their mindblowingly awesome debut 'Ample Destruction.' This was their very first EP, and it's expectedly a lot rawer than what would come later. This is just a young American heavy metal band having fun, and still in the learning process. All the pieces are here for Jag Panzer's iminent rise to the top of the power metal food chain, and this can be viewed as a simple starting step for the band. The songs here are all fun, headbanging tunes, but like mostly all EPs, this isn't a definitive representation of the band's sound. Just a rough draft.

Everything is obviously in place, though, as we hear on the jumpy, energetic "Battle Zones", in which I can hear a very prominent NWOBHM influence. Harry Conklin's voice isn't up to standard with the band's later work, and he sounds very unpolished. Not bad, but just unpolished. The guitar team is already cranking out some great riffs and solos, and the bass and drums provide a very good backbeat throughout the album. Through the short, speedy "Death Row", through the melodic "Metal Melts the Ice" (very cool song title there), and "Towers of Darkness" which sounds like a demo recording for some reason, but has much cleaner singing. "Iron Shadows" is the epic of the album, and it reminds me a lot of "Iron Eagle" from the 'Age of Mastery' album. It's not as good as that immortal song, but it's nice all the same. It's got some odd vocals, but musically this is an excellent song.

Overall, this is a solid EP from what would be a great fucking band. It's very raw and messy, in case that would turn off fans of the band's later works, or fans of modern power and progressive metal. The vocals especially are very rough and not nearly as polished as they would be on 'Ample Destruction.' The songs do seem to plod on a bit, especially the two longer ones, but this is something the band would fix as they went on. This EP isn't the best the band has done, but it's a worthy find for Jag Panzer enthusiasts (and you damn well should be), and it's a necessary first step in the band's evolution. I think some of the tracks on here are available on the "Decade of the Nail Spiked Bat" compilation, with better production, so that's something to check out...