Panther – Panther

Metal produces some uncanny situations. There are bands that are undoubtedly groundbreakers due to their original sonance which contributed a lot to shape Heavy Metal the way it is today. The list is enormous and I guess you have your own, so I won’t quote any here. It’s unnecessary. On the other hand, there are bands which incarnate the essence of Metal so much that they are soon identified as having all the requirements to a Metal sound. I mean, there is a list of bands that gather lots of usual sonances and make their original sound. But, still, those bands are the ones which one may think they are copycats. Well, not really.

Panther are one of those bands. It is also more known to have been Jeff Scott Soto’s first band. The introducing riff in “There Was Rock” at first reminds Iron Maiden’s “Wrathchild” which, by the way, has a very peculiar sonance. But soon this wrong idea is blown away with the precise and inspired guitar interventions. The following track “Desire” has a nice keyboard into which makes us suppose that a ballad will come. Though, that’s not what happens. Jeff Scot Soto’s voice is extra powerful at this particularly one.

“Panther” is another homage that producer Bart Gabriel and No Remorse Records pay to 1980’s bands that didn’t achieve the desired respect they should have gotten. As a funny coincidence, “Danger” has some elements that Soto will experiment with Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force. With “Panther” we also get acquainted to the reasons Yngwie chose him to join his band.

If you like the essence of 1980’s Heavy Metal, Panther are the band which will give moments of pure delight.

Panther “Panther” was released on September 28th via No Remorse Records.

Track Listing:

  1. There Was Rock
  2. Desire
  3. Danger
  4. Deliver the Axe
  5. Warchild
  6. Panther
  7. Set Me Free
  8. Sheer Heart Attack (demo)
  9. Take It to the Limit (demo)
  10. When You’re in Love (demo)