Band:	Jag Panzer
Album:	Casting The Stones
Style:	US power metal
Release date:	September 27, 2004
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Feast Or Famine
02. The Mission (1943)
03. Vigilant
04. Achilles
05. Tempest
06. Legion Immortal
07. Battered & Bruised
08. Cold
09. Starlight's Fury
10. The Hearkening
11. Precipice

I have seen you guys (and girls, of course) talk about underestimated bands, but if we shall crown the most underestimated band out there, it has to be Jag Panzer.
Because I can't mention a band that deserve more attention for their work than Jag Panzer does.
They have released good albums since the debut and they still ain't getting the attention they deserve. And the question is, of course, "why?"
I really don't know why, but I know that the marketing hasn't been so good; here in Europe (at least Sweden) there hasn't been much news about a new Jag Panzer album.

It's maybe not a major reason, but marketing is necessary today, since there are so incredible many bands fighting about the same audience.
Unfortunately I can't do much more than recommend you to buy their albums and give them a chance, they really do incredible music.
That's not enough to bring them to the top, but I really hope that someday, before they quit, they will get their acknowledgement.

But to tell you the truth, I haven't heard everything with Panzer, I'm still kind of fresh, but I know for sure I regret that I didn't give them a chance earlier, I'm sure I would have liked them. But since it's not possible to change the past, I'll have to concentrate on the future, and I know for sure that Jag Panzer will follow me for many years ahead.

Anyway, let's lay the focus on the reason why I'm sitting here and writing about Jag Panzer.
The reason spells "Casting the Stones", Jag Panzer's ninth album (depends how you're counting), and what an album then.
At the first listening the album doesn't leave many impressions (that's might be another reason why they are so underestimated), and it takes much will to press play a second time.
But when you're closing in at your fourth or maybe fifth listening, thinks starting to happen, the music evolves and you're starting to hum along with the songs.
This is an album that we call "Grower", that needs time to grow into you.

With tight guitar play and a singer that's so incredible original and good, this concept is a winner, even if the bands celebrity shows us the opposite.
I have seen that people call them "Iced Earth little brother" and stuff.
Personally I wouldn't go so far, sure they have some parts that are very alike, but generally it's two very different bands.
Iced Earth is more Heavy/Power and Jag Panzer is more Progressive/Power/Heavy plus a lot's of other differences.

Anyway, now when "Casting the Stones" is all over us, we might take a closer look and see what it has to offer us.
It's 11 new songs, 11 very even songs, with a few ones that grows a bit more than the rest, it's "The Mission (1943)", "Achilles" (that might be the best Panzer song I ever heard) and "Starlight's Fury".
Regarding the rest, none of them can be classified as fillers; they are way to good for that.
But there is those three mentioned that have something that's over the average.

I won't take up more of your time, but before I end, I just want to say that you have to try Jag Panzer at least once in your lifetime, and if you buys an album, let it spin a couple of times before you judge it, who knows, maybe Jag Panzer will be one of your favourite bands in the future?
They at least deserve to be discovered, they don't deserves to live in the shadows; they are to damn good for that.

Check Out: "The Mission (1943)", "Achilles" (One hell of a song) & "Starlight's Fury".