#harry conklin

[queenofthemasquerade]

Visit Original Link

Titan Force - Blaze of Glory

[metalcultbrigade]

Harry Conklin 04/04/1962

[metalsongoftheday]

Monday, November 21: Jag Panzer, “Twilight Years”

With The Age of Mastery, Jag Panzer moved past the tentative reunion of The Fourth Judgement and got back to being a full-time working band, remaining resolute in their approach even after replacing founding guitarist Joey Tafolla with a young Chris Broderick.  And while “Twilight Years” was one of Broderick’s earliest songwriting credits, and bore early traces of what he would later bring to Megadeth and In Flames, it was consistent in sound and feel with Harry “the Tyrant” Conklin’s co-writes with band mainstay Mark Briody.  Conklin’s vocals were robust, dynamic and dramatic, while the serrated riffing was rooted in traditional US power metal even as it upped the intensity. Even with the interlude in the middle, there was a certain efficiency and precision to the track, like every bit was firmly locked in place.  “Twilight Years” was fairly close to perfect as a Jag Panzer track, fully honed and in the upper echelon of US power metal, even if the band never got the credit and acclaim they deserved.

[kinkychaosette]

Some classic promo shots of Titan Force. This band was originally formed as Titan, and they had a dream that they’d have a singer as good as Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin from another local band called Jag Panzer. After Harry had left Jag Panzer to in an unsuccessful attempt to join Riot as a permanent member, he returned to Colorado and joined Satan’s Host. The members of Titan asked him to come jam with them, and he wound up becoming their full-time singer. Mario Flores (guitar), John Flores (bass) and Stefan Flores (drums) are brothers. After recording two albums, Harry rejoined Jag Panzer. Second guitarist Bill Richardson tragically commit suicide later on.

[queenofthemasquerade]

Visit Original Link

Jag Panzer - Cardiac Arrest

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, May 19: Jag Panzer, “Burning Heart”

“Burning Heart” was one of the Chain of Command tunes Jag Panzer resurfaced for The Age of Mastery, and unlike “Chain of Command” or “Sworn to Silence”, it highlighted not only the clear distinction between Harry “the Tyrant” Conklin and Bob Parduba, but also reflected how the band had evolved as performers in the intervening years.  Some of that had to do with the clarity of Jim Morris’ production, as well as the presence of Chris Broderick on second guitar, but there was also more focus in the playing as well as a clearer sense of dynamics, pacing and narrative.  Of course, the biggest change came with the vocals: Parduba was a perfectly capable singer, but Conklin brought the drama with his bobbing and weaving over the riffs.  This was the sort of track that could have only come from Jag Panzer in the late ‘90s, and while it was unfashionable its resoluteness made it timeless.

[metalsongoftheday]

Monday, April 11: Jag Panzer, “Salacious Behavior”

Jag Panzer became far less prolific once their deal with Century Media ended around 2005, but that seemed to work out to their benefit, at least creatively: both The Scourge of the Light and The Deviant Chord were robust US power metal albums that felt both consistent with the band’s earlier material as well as uniquely their own thanks to a combination of sturdy songwriting and locked-in and passionate performances.  And with the return of founding guitarist Joey Tafolla for the latter, the group sounded even more in their zone.  “Salacious Behavior” was perhaps a bit less intense than usual, but was enjoyable and felt completely natural to the band.  Harry “the Tyrant” Conklin’s ageless vocals were perfectly modulated to the needs of the track, sounding stout and powerful without resorting to cheap histrionics (unlike his subsequent performances with the Three Tremors project, which were nothing but cheap histrionics).  Tafolla and Mark Briody’s chemistry as a guitar tandem remained potent even after 20+ years apart, and “Salacious Behavior” as a whole played like a no-frills traditional heavy metal tune made by experts, feeling uniquely pleasurable as a result.

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, October 22: Jag Panzer, “Lustfull and Free”

Jag Panzer returned to action in 1997 with The Fourth Judgement, but it was with the release of The Age of Mastery the following year that things began to click in place.  Although Joey Tafolla was out of the band again, in his place was a young and hungry Chris Broderick, and it was this lineup, besides being the longest-lasting in the group’s history, that reasserted and reestablished Jag Panzer’s place in the American power metal hierarchy.  And while Broderick didn’t write “Lustfull and Free”, his presence nonetheless gave both the band and the track a kick in the pants, as it was a little faster and nastier than usual. There was also confidence, with Harry “the Tyrant” Conklin adding some grit to his stout middle range and not feeling the urge to wail when it wasn’t necessary to do so, while Broderick and mainstay guitarist Mark Briody fully locked in as a guitar tandem.  “Lustfull and Free” was energetic and propulsive while also staying resolutely within a comfortable power metal zone, and simply stayed true to what Jag Panzer was and did.