Colorado band formed in 1981 consisting of guitarist Mark Briody, bassist John Tetley, drummer Butch Carlson, and vocalist Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin. Their style was basic British-style metal influenced by bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, and they released their debut mini-album in 1983. The band moved to Los Angeles to seek out another guitarist, settling on Joey Tafolla, who contributed a great deal to the group's most memorable material. The group's debut album, Ample Destruction, did not bring success as quickly as Tafolla expected, and he left, eventually joining Alice Cooper's band and recording as a solo artist for Shrapnel Records. Carlson and the Tyrant left shortly thereafter, with the Tyrant briefly joining Riot and later forming his own band, Titan Force. Briody and Tetley reformed the group in 1987 with a new lineup (including vocalist Daniel Conca), and their resulting demo got them a deal with Auburn Records and the opportunity to record a new album. In 1996, the original lineup reunited (with the exception of Carlson, who was replaced by drummer Rikard Stjernquist) for the album The Fourth Judgement [sic], produced by Jim Morris (Death). Age of Mastery followed in 1998, and two years later Jag Panzer returned with Thane to the Throne. The summer 2001 saw the release of another hardhitting metal effort, Mechanized Warefare. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
