Chain of Command

The first time you heard of Jag Panzer, it was likely related to their 1984 debut album, the oft celebrated heavy/power gem Ample Destruction. You might also know that their next album, Dissident Alliance, wasn't released for another 10 years and was a complete and total disaster, from which the band would never fully recover. That's not entirely true, though. Yes, Dissident Alliance was a complete and utter failure, and the band never really achieved a great album afterward, but it wasn't their next album after Ample Destruction - not as far as recording is concerned, anyway. Chain of Command was recorded in 1987 with new vocalist Bob Parduba, though there was demo material as early as 1985 with the iconic Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin.

So why doesn't this release feature Conklin? Well, to be fair, the only songs on the demos with him also featured here were "Shadow Thief" and the cover of "In A Gadda Da Vida," so it wasn't as if they had an album's worth of material with him and decided to choose a lesser known vocalist instead. Most of the demo material he did is available in the form of bonus tracks on the end of one or another reissue of Ample Destruction, anyway. Additionally, Parduba is by no means a second-rate vocalist, standing up favorably even against the mighty Conklin, I'd say, though of course he's not quite as good. However, I do think he's better suited to this somewhat more romantic, sophisticated material. Not to say it's a concept album about Macbeth or anything (surely Conklin would sound awful on anything like that!), and Conklin showed on his work with Titan Force that he's clearly capable of singing more melodically, but his performance on AD certainly wouldn't have worked as well, and having heard both him and Parduba perform "Shadow Thief," I think the latter does a better job.

So, yes, we definitely have something that isn't the balls-out metallic assault that Ample Destruction was, but it still has plenty of balls, it just tends to lie a bit more towards the white collar end of the spectrum with its acoustic sections, slower tempo, and overall more mature and contemplative nature. Again, it's not like they went from AD immediately to Queensryche's The Warning, it just tends to lean more that way. Anyway, it tends to be overlooked, I assume because it had to live up to AD and because it wasn't officially released until 17 years after it was recorded, but it definitely is no slouch. In fact, I would call this somewhere on the fence between upper second tier and lower first tier USPM, comparable in quality to well-respected albums like Omen's Warning of Danger and Helstar's A Distant Thunder.

Bob Parduba has a fairly smooth, melodic voice, yet still powerful and masculine, going from proud midrange to insane shrieks with ease. Vocally he's definitely more in the white collar range, sort of evoking USPM singers like Apollo Ra's Daniel John Miller or Heir Apparent's Paul Davidson, but with more of a tendency to belt out the lyrics and stick more to the midrange. The music tends to be fairly simple, but effective, with catchy riffs that range from ponderous to bludgeoning, and the songwriting is well-conceived, with a riff never sticking around for too long or staying before we had the chance to appreciate it. The production is perhaps a bit smoother than that of AD, but it fits, and there aren't really any major problems with it. Really, this is just catchy, versatile USPM at its best, and while it's not consistently amazing, there's not a bad track to be heard and you'll be astounded by tunes like "Chain of Command" and "Ride through the Storm." If you missed on your trip through USPM, make sure to give it a listen the next time you come by.

Perhaps it was riding the wave of nostalgia created by the previous year's Decade of the Nail-Spiked Bat compilation, or perhaps the band and the heads at Century Media had long been in agreement that this long lost album was in need of a proper release. In any event, Chain of Command, an album recorded in the 80s and left to languish on the cutting room floor would finally see the light circa 2004 with a remastering job and new cover art, and it was about time. This is clearly a different direction than the band were taking with the classic Ample Destruction, and perhaps this, more than anything would be responsible for the haze of silence over its failure to launch where it belonged, smack dab at the close of a decade in which it might have mattered most.

Harry Conklin was not on board for this release, nor was Joey Tafolla, and their replacements here were vocalist Bob Parduba and guitarist Christian Lasegue. Unlike Daniel Conca, who was chosen for the 'official' second album to see release, Dissident Alliance, Parduba's vocals were very well suited to the band, and in fact he's a worthwhile replacement for the 'Tyrant', though not as frenetic or unhinged. He tends towards a classic, higher range, spot on as he soars to each note. If he's got any flaw at all, it's that he stays within his safety zone for much of the record. But this is not a huge detriment, because Chain of Command is a less aggressive effort than Ample Destruction, and the band were headed towards higher, cleaner melodic ground that eschewed the savagery of the debut without sacrificing much quality in the songwriting.

Speaking of the songs, we've heard several of these before on the band's later output. The stores of this sophomore were plundered for years, the band likely thinking it would never see any official release, so why not snap up the stronger numbers and strengthen them alongside freshly written material? "Shadow Thief", the band's ninja anthem, appeared on The Fourth Judgement, while "Sworn to Silence", "Chain of Command" and "Burning Heart"all appeared on The Age of Mastery, and "She Waits" was re-recorded for Decade of the Nail-Spiked Bat. Still, though the new versions of "Shadow Thief" and "Burning Heart" are probably superior to these, it's still worth hearing the originals with Parduba at the helm, because they were perfectly suited to his vocal tones.

Have no fear, because they're not the only fetching tracks to be found on the original release. "Ride Through the Storm" is solid melodic power metal which arrives at a gallop. "Never Surrender" takes a simple, plodding Slayer-like riff and dowses it in huge, rising vocal patterns that remind me of Lips' upper range on the earlier Anvil records. There are a pair of instrumentals in the progressive metal of the "Dream Theme" and the classical piece with keyboards "Gavotte in D". The balladic bonus track "When the Walls Come Down" erupts into some shrill vocals not unlike a lower ranged Lizzy Borden, complete with classic flurries of piano and acoustic guitar. Lastly, there's a decent cover of "In a Gadda da Vida" by Iron Butterfly, making great use of Parduba's range, and I actually might prefer this to the Slayer version. Ultimately, there might not be a lot here that you haven't heard if you've followed or collected the band's records, but combined with hearing the original vocals, there is just enough to warrant some value.

Personally, my preference runs towards Tyrants and Ample Destruction, but Chain of Command shows what the band might have evolved into had they treaded further down an accessible, melodic metal path instead of reverting to subhuman, mediocre thrash and the other bizarre ideas they'd cultivate for Dissident Alliance. It goes without saying that this record, despite the difference in approach, would have been a vastly superior successor had it come out when intended, but there is no changing history now, and we are forced to appreciate it for what it is. This was a limited run CD, so I'm betting only the diehards and a few random people were able to get their claws on it, but I would commend the band on releasing it as is with a simple remaster, rather than trying to re-record the entirety with Tyrant on the microphone like they did with the material on Decade of the Nail-Spiked Bat.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

This is Jag Panzer? That's something probably everyone would ask themselves once they have heard this album. In a sense this is very much like Iron Maiden's "Somewhere in Time", an album that shows a different side of the band, while its still quality metal it didn't have those dark memorable lyrics that really stuck out and the songs were much more easily accessible. The same can easily be said about this album. Its solid and probably fairly easy for anyone to appreciate to some degree.

Getting the weaker parts out there first, the production here is a bit odd. I'm not going to say its exactly 'bad' or anything, but it certainly lacks a punch. The sound to all of the instruments seems a bit turned down too much and feels very thin. This ends up hurting the drums quite a bit. The bass sometimes feels really distant and out of place, it just doesn't feel like its 'in there' with the rest of the band. The guitars are sometimes a bit hard to hear themselves, usually with the main rhythm's and riffs. However the solo's and harmonies tend to stand out pretty well. And as the former reviews pointed out the synths are pretty unbearable. Luckily they aren't 'all over' or anything. Randomly from track to track the production may jump around, sometimes for the best though. But above all, the vocals are the easiest thing to hear on this. Solution to this problem? Just blast that volume!?

And the vocals! Yes, 'The Tyrant' may be one of my all time favorite vocalists, but I honestly think Bob Parduba does an excellent job here with his duty. His voice compliments this slightly nicer Jag Panzer pretty much perfectly. Its a bit hard to really compare him to someone out there, but he sounds like a guy you'd hear in your everyday NWOBHM band. Overall he gives off a very melodic and clean performance, but at the same time can manage to show off some aggression every once in awhile too. On second thought, if you liked Harry Conklin's more melodic singing for Titan Force, I'd assume you could probably adapt to this fairly easily then. The vocals here are great.

Really, the thin production is just about the only thing that I think brings this album down a bit. There are truly some great classics all over here. The title track Chain of Command is probably one of Jag Panzer's catchiest tracks of all time, with its incredible chorus you'll truly understand Bob Parduba fits his vocals position here perfectly. The harmony work on this track stands out quite a bit too and is pretty familar with a lot of moments on "Ample Destruction", and the end contains one of the best solo's on here. Shadow Thief is another all-star track and lets the instruments do most of the melodic work. She Waits seems to do the same while being a bit more laid back. Ride Through the Storm, doesn't it seem like every metal song that involves Riding on/through/something turns out to be pretty awesome? That's definitely still the case here, another great catchy number and pretty similar to the first track. Though the synth's do come in from time to time to spill some crap throughout the song, it luckily doesn't ruin the whole picture. In A Gadda Da Vida starts off with some grated cheese (aka bad synths), and goes on to sound almost too nice from time to time topped off with some utterly bad lyrics. Style wise it sounds like something you could have heard from Heir Apparent or early Savatage, and so on. Though the harmonies and melodies later on are pretty good and sound pretty Mercyful Fate / Maiden inspired. This is also the first track where the guitars all of a sudden start to literally 'sound' a little better, among the bouncy production.

Never Surrender does start off a little generic, but after hearing the entire song it almost sounds like something that could have come out during Jag Panzer's AD-era. The rhythm's have more a crunch to them, and this track has quite a big section devoted to guitarists Mark Briody and Christian Lesague. The solo's and harmonies here are definitely among their most impressive on this album. Burning Heart continues this slightly tougher style and galops along with some even more standout dual solo'ing. The power continues with the speedy track Sworn to Silence where vocalist Bob Parduba gives off his most aggressive performance. Dream Theme is an instrumental that deluges you into a world of brilliant melodies, with some excellent acoustic work thrown in as well. I just wish the production was a step up on this one. Odd they'd throw in a forgetful instrumental/intro afterwards with the next track Gavotte in D, and its almost entirely synth based so you'll probably be skipping this one (very much like the instrumental song on AD). If you get the 2004 newly re-issued edition, you get the bonus track When the Walls Come Down. Its in the vein of The CrucifiX or Eyes of the Night. A little more on the epic side and the piano/keyboards are actually bearable. Can't hurt when its a bonus track.

The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. Again the only real bad thing here is the production, though not terrible by any means it just seems to lack a kick to it and we probably could have managed perfectly without the keyboards. For the open minded Jag Panzer fan I'd give this an extremely high recommendation. The previous reviewers pretty much nailed it too, if you like bands such as Helstar, Queensryche, Fates Warning, Heir Apparent, and have an appreciation for 80's metal you'd probably really dig this. Perhaps this is a bit underated? Definitely a great album from the band. Truly a shame it didn't get released back in the day.

Chain of Command is the long lost Jag Panzer album. It was originally recorded to be released in '88 however due to the circumstances at the time it was never released. This album is very representative of what metal was doing at the time. Bob Parduba replaces Harry on this album, and he does a great job, but sounds almost nothing like Harry Conklin. Bob uses a lot more melodic style of vocals, they are very well suited to the album. This is also the first album to introduce longstanding drummer Rikard Stjernquist, whom is one of my all time favourite drummers. Rikard always plays perfectly to suit the album, groovy, heavy, delicate whatever is needed. The lead guitar on this album is fucking awesome as well, perhaps not as good as say Chris Broderick or Joey Tafolla, but still very melodic and catchy.

The main differences between Chain Of Command and almost any other Jag Panzer album is the production and how melodic it is. The production makes the album seem softer around the edges, which fits it rather well. This album is more comparable to a heavier Queensryche or a light Helstar than too Ample Destrcution.

The title track is one of the best songs Jag Panzer has ever written. Very melodic and epic with a great catchy chorus. And finally someone takes up the gauntlet and makes some fucking kick ass ninja metal! Shadow Thief is another great song, which was originally sung by Harry Conklin on the Shadow Thief EP that was never officially released. Shaodw thief has a great semi fast paced riff that leads the song. The weakest track would have to be the In a Gadda Da Vida, which isn't bad, but doesn't really flow as well witht he rest of the album. Overall, not one bad track, however it doesn't kick as much ass as Ample Destrcution, or even some later albums.

I highly recommend this album to fans of Helstar, Queensryche, and Fates Warning.