They saw a poster featuring a German World War II tank, named Jagdpanzer literally "hunting tank" in German, but actually referring to what in English would be called a tank destroyer, which they decided to name their band after. They were, however, unable to pronounce the name correctly and as a result, dropped the letter "D" from the name and simply called it Jag Panzer. The band, who were all in their late teens at the time, played at local venues in the Denver club circuit, and recorded an EP in 1983, later known as Tyrants. In early 1984, the band recruited Joey Tafolla, a native of California, and promptly recorded their first album, Ample Destruction. The album was released in August of that year by the independent record label Azra Records. The album was an underground hit in the United States, and in Europe and Japan it was available on import only.
After the release of the album, the band relocated to Southern California. Tafolla quit the band in 1986, releasing a solo album, Out of the Sun, in 1987, while Conklin played with Riot for a brief period in the late 1980s, before forming his own band, Titan Force. Without the two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.
The Swedish born drummer, Rikard Stjernquist, was added to the line-up and the band proceeded to record the follow-up to their debut LP. The album was recorded in late 1987, but never got an official release.
By 1994, the band had reunited, this time with vocalist Daniel J. Conca, with Tetley and Briody on bass and guitar. Guitarist Chris Hostka and drummer Rikard Stjernquist were employed on their first official album in almost 10 years, Dissident Alliance. It was released by the German indie label Rising Sun.
The next album was on Century Media, The Fourth Judgement, which came out in late 1997, followed by Age of Mastery (1998). Jag Panzer sought to tackle more ambitious territory for their next album, with Thane to the Throne, a concept album about William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Mechanized Warfare was released in 2001, then the band released a double album in 2003 that featured previously unreleased tracks as well as songs from their first LP. Decade of the Nail Spiked Bat came out in 2003, and featured re-recorded and remixed old material. In 2004, the band released Casting the Stones. The previously unreleased Chain of Command album was remixed and was issued in 2004 as a limited edition.
In 2008, Chris Broderick left the band to join Megadeth, and was replaced by Christian Lasegue, who handled lead guitar duties on Chain of Command.
On December 23, 2008, Briody made a post on the band's official forum stating that the title of their next album would be The Scourge of the Light. On the official site, the band announced that SPV/Sony planned to release the album in February 2011. The album was released March 8, 2011.
Two weeks after its release, The Scourge of the Light placed at No. 117 on the Billboard New Artist Chart, making the album Jag Panzer's most successful to date.
On July 25, 2011, the band announced that they are to disband due to the rising costs of touring. Jag Panzer played a special early days show tour with Joey Tafolla for the first time in Europe. They played two shows in Greece, one in Austria and they headlined the Keep It True Festival XVII on April 25, 2014, in Germany.
High Roller Records released a 4-LP vinyl box set entitled Historical Battles – The Early Years, on April 19, 2013, limited to 500 copies.
By 2014, Jag Panzer had commenced working on their tenth album for a near future release, also featuring lead guitarist Joey Tafolla for the first time since 1997's The Fourth Judgement. Jag Panzer announced in August 2014 that it was looking for a new vocalist. However, it now appears that Harry Conklin has rejoined the group as of March 2015. In October 2015 the band announced their new album title would be The Deviant Chord and would be released sometime in 2017. The album, which was released by SPV/Steamhammer on September 29, 2017, included a cover version of the Irish folk song "Foggy Dew".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jag_Panzer
Discography
Ample Destruction (1984)
Dissident Alliance (1994)
The Fourth Judgement (1997)
The Age of Mastery (1998)
Thane to the Throne (2000)
Mechanized Warfare (2001)
Chain of Command (2004, inedits in 1987)
Casting the Stones (2004)
The Scourge of the Light (2011)
The Deviant Chord (2017)
The Hallowed (2023)
Achilles
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
never challenged by his prey
a demon, a warrior, a god
the keeper of his cause
The strongest of the strong
no matter the right or wrong
as far as the eye can see
Born into war is all that he's known
the seeds of terror are what he has sown
a maiden has never seen into his heart
and for this passion his soul will depart
The blade of Achilles is blessed by the gods
a slave to no man he fights for a cause
the strength of Achilles will render you cold
the might of Achilles shall never be sold
For the shores of Troy they set sail
when all before him failed
to avenge his cousin's life
a victim of the knife
Ten thousand fall that day
leaving as they feign to sail away
they take it, a gift behind the gates
soon will seal their fate
Achilles the brave that no man can kill
the arrow of fate across his heel
will be the fall of Achilles this day
the glory of Troy now fades away
The lyrics of "Achilles" by Jag Panzer speaks about the legendary Greek hero, Achilles, who was a great warrior born into war and raised to be one. The song portrays him as a fierce and mighty fighter who never backed down from any challenge and was a deadly adversary to his enemies. He is described as a demon, a warrior, a god, and the keeper of his own cause.
Despite the fact that he was the strongest of all men, he was not invincible. However, it wasn't his opponent on the battlefield that eradicated him; instead, Achilles' downfall was his passion for a love interest, which ultimately led to his death. The lyrics mention that "a maiden has never seen into his heart and for this passion his soul will depart."
The chorus suggests that Achilles' power is not derived solely from his physical strength, but also from the blessing of the gods on his blade. His fighting spirit is strong and he fights for a cause, devoid of fear or intimidation. The final verses discuss the Trojan War, where Achilles avenged the death of his cousin and fought valiantly against the Trojans. However, his downfall was brought on by his heel, which was his only weakness, hence the line, "the arrow of fate across his heel will be the fall of Achilles this day."
Line by Line Meaning
By the gods of war he was made
Achilles was created for war and conflict by the divine forces attributed to war.
never challenged by his prey
His enemies never dared to challenge him as he was too formidable.
a demon, a warrior, a god
Achilles is both feared and revered by his enemies as a warrior of supernatural abilities and strength.
the keeper of his cause
He is the protector of his mission and purpose, which is to win battles and wars.
The strongest of the strong
Achilles is the most powerful among powerhouses and cannot be defeated easily.
no matter the right or wrong
Morality is irrelevant for him; victory is the only thing that matters.
as far as the eye can see
His power is limitless and his influence spreads far and wide.
he will never concede
He will never back down or give up, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.
Born into war is all that he's known
His entire existence is defined by war and conflict since birth.
the seeds of terror are what he has sown
His actions and power inspires fear and terror in those around him.
a maiden has never seen into his heart
No woman has ever truly understood and seen his inner thoughts and feelings.
and for this passion his soul will depart
His obsession with power and war will be the death of him in the end.
The blade of Achilles is blessed by the gods
His sword is considered a divine weapon, imbued with godly powers.
a slave to no man he fights for a cause
Achilles fights only for his own cause and has allegiance to none but himself.
the strength of Achilles will render you cold
His strength and power will break and weaken the strongest of wills.
the might of Achilles shall never be sold
His power and influence cannot be bought or sold by anyone, ever.
For the shores of Troy they set sail
Achilles and his army sailed to Troy for battle and conflict.
when all before him failed
All previous attempts to defeat Troy have failed, and Achilles is the only hope for victory.
to avenge his cousin's life
Achilles seeks revenge for the death of his cousin at the hands of the Trojans.
a victim of the knife
His cousin was killed by a Trojan with a knife.
Ten thousand fall that day
A multitude of soldiers were killed on the day of the battle.
leaving as they feign to sail away
Dummy ships were left behind, giving the illusion that they are abandoning the fight.
they take it, a gift behind the gates
The Trojans believed that the remaining ships were a gift left behind for them.
soon will seal their fate
This misunderstanding is the beginning of the end for the Trojans as it leads to their downfall.
Achilles the brave that no man can kill
Achilles is courageous and unbeatable in combat.
the arrow of fate across his heel
Achilles' only weakness is on his heel, where an arrow ultimately kills him.
will be the fall of Achilles this day
The weakness will lead to his death on this particular day.
the glory of Troy now fades away
Troy is destroyed and its glory fades into history.
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.