InterviewJagPanzer

06.10.2004

JAG PANZER : interview with Mark Briody

e-mail by

Dimitris "Heartcollector83" Theodoropoulos ___

05.10.2004 - organized by Century Media and gryphonmetal.ch

Jag Panzer live in Greece 2003

Casting the Stones

NOTHING IS BETTER THAN BEING ON STAGE

Dimitris - Tell us a few things about the new record 'Casting The Stones'

Mark - It’s our new album and it took about 8 months to write and record. As with all Jag Panzer albums, we tried to make this different sounding from our previous releases while still maintaining the Jag Panzer sound.

When will you hit the road for a tour and when will you come to Europe?

We definitely plan on touring Europe but we don’t have any dates yet. We have to look at our options – is it best to open for a bigger band or play smaller venues as a headliner. Headlining is much more fun, but opening up may give us the option of playing in more countries. There are still several European countries where we have not played.

In your previous albums you had violins on your songs. How come you didn't use any on this album?

We wanted a different sound for this album so we didn’t use violins or big choirs. We may use them again on our next album, I’m not sure.

How come the production came out harder than ever before on a Jag Panzer album?

We wanted a heavier sound so we spoke with our producer Jim Morris about this. We used some different amps and tunings to achieve this.

Did Broderick's writing on this record made the band's sound heavier?

Yes, I would say so. Chris wrote 6 songs on the new album and he has a very heavy writing style.

Do you prefer being in the studio working on new ideas or playing live?

I like being in the studio, but nothing is better than being on stage!

On which Jag Panzer album do you believe you have experimented the most?

I would say ‘Casting the Stones’ then probably ‘Thane to the Throne’. ‘Mechanized Warfare’ has some experimental parts on it, but not as much as ‘Thane’. The new album is the most experimental of all of them.

What role does the producer play on a Jag Panzer record?

He helps get the best performance out of each musician. For example - Our singer Harry has a much better voice since we started working with Jim Morris. Harry was singing too loud in the studio on past albums. Jim taught him proper techniques for the studio and it’s helped a lot.

Which musicians influence your song-writing the most?

Blackmore and Iommi. Specifically the work they did with Ronnie James Dio. Also Steve Harris is a big influence on my songwriting.

For people that haven't seen the band play live yet, how would you describe a Jag Panzer show?

High energy, in-your-face, metal. No holds barred.

Are there any musicians you would like to work with?

Working with Dio would be a dream come true. He’s the voice of metal.

At which age did you start practicing your instrument?

At 15. I wish I had started sooner. Our vocalist Harry showed me some chords. He started playing guitar at 14.

If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you would do? What’s your second biggest passion that you’d like to follow?

Art or video production. I love the visual arts. I’m very interested in that field.

What do you think about today’s metal bands?

I’m not a fan of mallcore, nu-metal or metalcore. But there are some great bands today playing excellent metal. Bands like Blind Guardian or Grave Digger are incredible.

The final question is: let’s say there is a big tower and on the top of it are 3 bands. You have to push down 2 of them and save only 1.The bands are Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica. Which one will you save and why?

That’s a tough one because I am a huge fan of both Maiden and Priest. Although I like Maiden a little more, I would have to save Priest. The reason – I haven’t heard what they will do since Rob Halford has returned.

Thank you Mark!

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