The Hallowed

The Hallowed is the twelfth studio album by American power metal band Jag Panzer. It was released on June 23, 2023, through Atomic Fire Records.^[34] It is the first album to feature long-time touring guitarist Ken Rodarte as an official member, replacing Joey Tafolla who had departed the band in 2018.^[35]

On January 22, 2022, the band had posted an update on their official Facebook page that work had begun on an upcoming album^[36] and that they were planning to begin recording later that season. Mark Briody later revealed the album's name along with a completed artwork by Dusan Markovic to be the cover art for The Hallowed.^[37]

The Hallowed is a concept album,^[38] the band's second after Thane to the Throne (2000). The songs and lyrics form a narrative that follows a group of people and their animal companions as they traverse an apocalyptic frozen wasteland in search of a refuge known to them only as "The Hallowed".^[39] All the while, they encounter terrifying creatures called "the Jaw" and "the Swarm".^[40] The album's narrative more closely follows the point of view of the animal companion characters, while a comic book of the same name released by the band later in September, 2022,^[41] is told more from the perspective of the humans.

Two videos were released in support of the album via Atomic Fire's YouTube channel before the label's acquisition by Reigning Phoenix Music.

An official documentary video titled Tales From The Hallowed was released in April, 2023^[42] with the members of Jag Panzer detailing the creative genesis of the album's concept, story, and the tie-in comic book. A music video for "Prey!" was released later in July.^[43] It features the band playing on a stage while images of the panels from The Hallowed comic book cross the screen.