PänzerFatal Command

Pänzer, wenn Sie kommst aus Deutschland, das ist eine “Supergruppe” mit Schmier (Destruction), Stefan Schwarzmann (Running Wild, ex-Helloween), Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall) und V.O. Pulver (Poltergeist). If you aren’t German, then … who are these people, and why are they here?

Schmier (whom we had on Hard Noise a week or two back) leads the Pänzer charge. By his own admission, this is alter Mann glory metal in the vein of Accept and Judas Priest. Judging the quality and musicality of what’s here, it’s not too far off the mark. Satan’s Hollow bursts on to speakers not unlike Judas Priest’s Painkiller, pulling every tricky lick out of their pointed metal helmet. Cuts like Bring You The Night is cut from Accept cloth, weaving in triumphant leads and fist-pumping choruses.

Power metallers and ye olde thrashers may find something to fall in love with here.

The boys could have dropped Afflicted on to the latest Accept effort and no one would’ve bat an eyelid. A trudging thrash creeper Skullbreaker feels like a metal fist breaking through concrete ground, as does highlight The Decline (and the Downfall) vibing Powerslave; it’s a crunch-laden mystical trip into … some empire. Somewhere.

Die stahl Pänzer is a curious animal, since it exceeds the output of the member’s individual bands. It is a mite more flowing and toe-tapping than Accept’s latest, and there’s more musical nuggets hidden here than Destruction’s last few LPs. At this point, any moron can release a power metal album better than the Hammerfall recycling centre for tired power metal riffs. Power metallers and ye olde thrashers may find something to fall in love with here.

STICK THIS NEXT TO: Wizard, Accept, Judas Priest (later)
STANDOUT TRACKS: The Decline (and the Downfall),  Satan’s Hollow, Bring You The Night