| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Satan's Hollow Fatal Command We Can Not Be Silenced I'll Bring You The Night Scorn & Hate Afflicted Skullbreaker Bleeding Allies The Decline (& The Downfall) Mistaken Promised Land Release Date: October 6, 2017 Label: Nuclear Blast Records Website: www.facebook.com/TheGermanPanzer |  |
PANZER IS:
Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer - Vocals & bass Pontus Norgren - Guitars V.O. Pulver - Guitars Stefan Schwarzmann - Drums
Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer - Vocals & bass Pontus Norgren - Guitars V.O. Pulver - Guitars Stefan Schwarzmann - Drums
Schmier from Destruction pretty much never sleeps. Over the last two to three years, he has remained as busy as ever with Destruction's ridiculous touring and recording schedule, as well as keeping busy with Panzer on the side. After a great debut album with Send Them All To Hell back in 2014, but also a lineup change with Herman Frank leaving the band to focus on his solo career and the additions of new guitarists V.O. Pulver of Poltergeist and Pontus Norgren of HammerFall, turning the band into a two-guitar band, Panzer are set to unleash their sophomore album Fatal Command. If you're one of the bunch that heard Send Them All To Hell and you enjoyed what you heard there, then Fatal Command is no different. The album cover also garners a chuckle. In an interview I did with Schmier back in the spring where he revealed some info about the record to us, he mentioned that the cover was funny, and he wasn't kidding. While the cover might cause some mixed reactions, it's good to have a chuckle instead of showing your serious side 24/7, but what really matters is the music.
Not only does the band bring the Judas Priest, Accept and Motorhead influences that were prevalent on the first album back again, but we also hear some Iron Maiden here as well. A perfect example is "Scorn & Hate". For some reason, I was expecting Bruce Dickinson to start singing after the main riff. If straightforward, simple metal is up your alley, tracks like "I'll Bring You The Night", "The Decline (& The Downfall)" and "Skullbreaker" will strike the perfect chord with you. As I mentioned before, the only experimentation to be found in Panzer is Schmier letting his slightly more melodic voice into the spotlight, which isn't heard in Destruction. Other than that, the music is a tribute to the forefathers of metal. The NWOBHM influences shine brightly on "Satan's Hollow" and "Fatal Command".
"Afflicted" feels like it would be a perfect theme song for a video game with its melodic tremolo-picked intro riff. I think it would really fit as the theme for a racing game. When it comes to the guitar work, Norgren and Pulver conjure up some pretty glorious leads and twin harmonies throughout the record. Stefan Schwarzmann also delivers some powerful drum performances. He's always had a great sense of groove and feel. Closing track "Promised Land" is undoubtedly one of the record's strongest points. With a massive chorus and chugging riff combined with a pummeling double-kick attack, it's sure to find a lot of favour with listeners. When you compare Send Them All To Hell to Fatal Command, the new one doesn't really contain as many captivating moments as the first one did, but there's still a great amount of enjoyment to be found. At the same time, there's nothing groundbreaking here, just pure straightforward metal.
Highs: "Satan's Hollow", "I'll Bring You The Night" and "Promised Land"
Lows: Nothing groundbreaking and not as many captivating moments as Send Them All To Hell.
Final Rating: 7.8/10
Not only does the band bring the Judas Priest, Accept and Motorhead influences that were prevalent on the first album back again, but we also hear some Iron Maiden here as well. A perfect example is "Scorn & Hate". For some reason, I was expecting Bruce Dickinson to start singing after the main riff. If straightforward, simple metal is up your alley, tracks like "I'll Bring You The Night", "The Decline (& The Downfall)" and "Skullbreaker" will strike the perfect chord with you. As I mentioned before, the only experimentation to be found in Panzer is Schmier letting his slightly more melodic voice into the spotlight, which isn't heard in Destruction. Other than that, the music is a tribute to the forefathers of metal. The NWOBHM influences shine brightly on "Satan's Hollow" and "Fatal Command".
"Afflicted" feels like it would be a perfect theme song for a video game with its melodic tremolo-picked intro riff. I think it would really fit as the theme for a racing game. When it comes to the guitar work, Norgren and Pulver conjure up some pretty glorious leads and twin harmonies throughout the record. Stefan Schwarzmann also delivers some powerful drum performances. He's always had a great sense of groove and feel. Closing track "Promised Land" is undoubtedly one of the record's strongest points. With a massive chorus and chugging riff combined with a pummeling double-kick attack, it's sure to find a lot of favour with listeners. When you compare Send Them All To Hell to Fatal Command, the new one doesn't really contain as many captivating moments as the first one did, but there's still a great amount of enjoyment to be found. At the same time, there's nothing groundbreaking here, just pure straightforward metal.
Highs: "Satan's Hollow", "I'll Bring You The Night" and "Promised Land"
Lows: Nothing groundbreaking and not as many captivating moments as Send Them All To Hell.
Final Rating: 7.8/10
RSS Feed
