* En anglais uniquement
A Colorado band formed in 1981,
Jag Panzer's style was basic British metal influenced by bands like
Judas Priest and
Iron Maiden. Originally founded by guitarist
Mark Briody, bassist
John Tetley, drummer Butch Carlson, and vocalist Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin, they released their debut mini-album in 1983. The band moved to Los Angeles to seek out another guitarist, settling on
Joey Tafolla, who contributed a great deal to the group's most memorable material. The group's debut album,
Ample Destruction, did not bring success as quickly as
Tafolla expected, and he left, eventually joining
Alice Cooper's band and recording as a solo artist for Shrapnel Records.
Carlson and the Tyrant left shortly thereafter, with the Tyrant briefly joining
Riot and later forming his own band, Titan Force.
Briody and
Tetley re-formed the group in 1987 with a new lineup (including vocalist Daniel Conca), and their resulting demo got them a deal with Auburn Records and the opportunity to record a new album. In 1996, the original lineup reunited (with the exception of
Carlson, who was replaced by drummer
Rikard Stjernquist) for the album
The Fourth Judgement, produced by
Jim Morris (
Death).
Age of Mastery followed in 1998, and two years later
Jag Panzer returned with
Thane to the Throne. Summer 2001 saw the release of another hard-hitting metal effort,
Mechanized Warfare. The band would go on to issue two LPs in 2004, their previously bootleg-only debut,
Chain of Command, which was recorded in 1987, and the all-new
Casting the Stones, the latter of which would be the last studio outing to feature guitarist
Chris Broderick, who eventually left the band to join
Megadeth. The group disbanded after the release of 2011's
Scourge of the Light, citing the increasing costs of touring as a mitigating factor, but they returned in 2017 with album number ten,
The Deviant Chord. ~ Steve Huey