JAG PANZER — The Scourge of the Light (review)

JAG PANZER — The Scourge of the Light album cover Album · 2011 · US Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"The Scourge of the Light" is the 9th full-length studio album by US power/heavy metal act Jag Panzer. The album was released through SPV/Steamhammer Records in February 2011. Jag Panzer was formed under the Tyrant monicker as far back as 1978. They changed their name to Jag Panzer in their formative years and released their debut full-length studio album "Ample Destruction" in 1984. They weren´t as successful as they had hoped for and lineup changes and other problems meant that the band split in 1988. They reunited again in 1994 and were particularly active in the years 1994 - 2004, releasing seven full-length studio albums in that period. However "The Scourge of the Light" is the first album since "Casting the Stones (2004)" and it looks like it´s also going to be the last as the band called it quits in July 2011.

...if that is true, it´s a crying shame, because the music on this release is high quality US power/heavy metal. The music is vocal/guitar driven with only moderate use of keyboards. The musicianship is brilliant and especially lead vocalist Harry "The Tyrant " Conklin shines throughout. The man has got a set of really powerful pipes. He is fully able to reach the really high notes as well as deliver more raw type singing. The music on the album reminds me a lot of how many US power/progressive metal acts sounded around the end of the eighties. Acts like Queensrÿche, Lethal and Heir Apparent but maybe with a sligthly more traditional heavy metal sound (once or twice I´m reminded of Iron Maiden). In addition to the excellent musicianship and the powerful, clean and well sounding production, the songwriting is also on a high level. The album features both fast-paced power metal tracks like the opening track "Condemned to Fight" and slower epic tracks like the closing track "The Book of Kells", but common for all tracks is that they are hook laden (at times anthemic) and memorable.

To my ears "The Scourge of the Light" is quite the great US power/heavy metal album and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved.
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