Thane to the Throne

Jag Panzer

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B00004T0M5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,550 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely well done metal concept album based on Macbeth, March 15, 2002

By	Just Bill (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Jag Panzer is a recent discovery of mine. And a good one at that.

My first foray into the world of the Panzer was Mechanized Warfare -- and I was both pleasantly surprised and impressed by it.

So I sent an e-mail to the band to tell them so. Surprise again! Within about an hour, guitarist Mark Briody replied. After a couple of e-mail exchanges, I asked him what other Jag Panzer CD he recommend I buy. His reply? Thane to the Throne.

I lost no time finding a copy and buying it.

Unbelievable. Jag Panzer is truly an unsung American treasure. The guitarists shred like you wouldn't believe. Fast, yet clean. (By the way, I found Mark to be extremely intelligent and articulate. If he's any indication of the caliber of the other members of the band, I'd say this is the group to watch in the future. They have a different approach to songwriting from other metal bands today, and seem to put a lot of time and effort into their melodies, harmonies and lyrics.)

Thane to the Thrown is a powerful CD, full of creativity, depth and a cool groove that just won't quit.

The drummer is tight and explosive. The vocalist has an excellent voice. Excellent harmonies, too. And the songs are tailor made for metal fans who like their riffs clean, memorable and chock full of surprises. Jag Panzer uses other instruments to great effect, too. Classical guitar, violin, choirs -- it's all here, folks. The classical/flamenco guitar piece (track 16 "The Downward Fall") shows these guys have abilities very, very few other metal guitarists have. The penultimate track ("Tragedy of Macbeth") is a stirring closer to the album. It has a majestic, triumphant sound that amazes me.

In fact, this concept album is so good that it reminds me more of classic Rush circa 2112, Fates Warning circa Perfect Symmetry or Savatage circa The Wake of Magellan than run-of-the-mill metal of today. It's that deep and musically surprising. Bombastic? Sure. Pretentious? Perhaps. But you gotta give these guys high marks for attempting to rise above the norm.

Jag Panzer is metal for the discerning music fan. And I heartily recommend them -- not to mention their incredible concept album Thane to the Throne.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Out damned spot, out I say!, December 4, 2001

By	Kevin McDonald "the_wicked_child" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This is hands-down my favorite JP album. It's a concept album based on Shakespeare's "Macbeth" (easily Billy Bob's best work), and it is great. The musicianship is top notch, and the vocals are great. Harry kinda overdoes it with the operatic vocals a bit, but it's power metal, so what do you expect? The story is great, very accurate, but it doesn't quite match the original. In case you're not familiar with the story, "Macbeth" is about a guy who is told by these witches that he'll be king of Scotland if he kills the current king. He does it, it works, but the prophecies from the witches keep coming, and he keeps killing, cuz he's convinced others will try to stop him. He basically goes from a normal guy to a power-hungry psycho who hallucinates, and thinks everyone's against him. I don't think they did a good job of showing his "descent into madness" here, but the story is otherwise pretty accurate. I hope that those who buy this and like it will be compelled to read the story, cuz it's really good, much better than the overrated "Romeo and Juliet". If you love metal and have already read it, and don't have this, BUY NOW!! You don't know what you're missing. Also, get all of JP's other albums, especially the new one, "Mechanized Warfare". Don't let this rockin' band from the Rockies pass you by!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars to rock or not to rock?--that is the qustion, November 21, 2000

By	king beagley "metal maven" (warsaw, in usa) - See all my reviews

jag panzer's latest is a combination of iced earth, anvil, hammerfall, and steel prophet with a touch of edguy thrown in for good measure. shakespeare gives this album his approval as these gentlemen perform a great play by shakespeare called macbeth. this album might even help you to pass your english with flying colors, provided that your teacher and fellow students are avid metalheads