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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
All Things Renewed
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Floating high above the earth below
I open my eyes to see the truth
Nothing I can do to save them
As is above
As is below
Return as once before
I once had a dream or was it real
Nothing I can do to save them
You have been warned now the final day has come
This world shall shake from His voice
As is above
As once before all things renewed
As is below
The mountains crumble at his word
Mountains shall crumble, and fall into the sea
Millions cry "Death take over me"
All men shall fear
As once before all things renewed
All men shall kneel
The mountains crumble at his word
Tears from my eyes rain down below
Burning as flame in every soul
I open my heart unto the world
Nothing I can do to save them
Men shall seek death from torments on this earth
As angels rain fire from the sky
The lyrics to Jag Panzer's song "All Things Renewed" entail a dream that the singer had, where they were sailing through the sky and observing the world from above. The lyrics speak to a sense of helplessness as the singer recognizes that there is nothing they can do to save the world below, which is in the midst of destruction. They sing of a warning that has been given, and the final day that is at hand, suggesting that the actions of humankind have brought about this end. The lyrics are prophetic, presenting a vision of a world in which all men will kneel and no one will be able to ignore their fate.
The repetition of the phrase "As is above, as is below, return as once before, all things renewed" speaks to the cyclical nature of the world and the idea that history repeats itself. The mountain crumbling at the word of a higher power suggests a loss of power and domination or a sense of supremacy put into place by those who seek to control others. Additionally, the line "tears from my eyes rain down below, burning as flames in every soul," further emphasizes the sense of sadness and pain felt by the singer. The last line in the lyrics about angels raining fire from the sky shows a biblical influence, with references to the book of Revelation.
Overall, the lyrics of "All Things Renewed" present a dark and heavy tale of destruction, helplessness, and religious imagery. The lyrics seem to be a warning about the consequences of greed and power-hungry individuals that neglect the balance of nature and the need for compassion and kindness.
Line by Line Meaning
I once had a dream sailing through the sky
I once had a vision of flying high above the ground
Floating high above the earth below
Felt weightless, and flew far from the earth
I open my eyes to see the truth
I eventually realized the reality
Nothing I can do to save them
Powerless to rescue others
As is above
Reflects the condition above
As is below
Represents the state under us
Return as once before
Come back to previous form
All things renewed
Everything becomes new again
You have been warned now the final day has come
A final warning has been given with the end near
This world shall shake from His voice
The world trembles when spoken to by Him
The mountains crumble at his word
The mountains collapse from His command
Mountains shall crumble, and fall into the sea
The mountains will come down, ruining the coast
Millions cry "Death take over me"
Many pray for death to save them
All men shall fear
All humanity will be terrified
All men shall kneel
All mankind will bow down
Tears from my eyes rain down below
I cry, and those tears fall to the earth
Burning as flame in every soul
Many people feel intense emotion
I open my heart unto the world
I reveal my innermost thoughts
Men shall seek death from torments on this earth
Mankind will suffer and long for death
As angels rain fire from the sky
Angels will bring destruction from above
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pattonpatterns
Such a unique, awesome metal track.
forbidinjustice
The first gig I ever attended at age 17... Iced Earth, In Flames, Jag Panzer. Austin, TX. I'll never forget it as long as I live and couldn't have been any luckier.
MrRenegadeshinobi
Lucky
Western rider 100
Incredible song to close the album. When the band ends, just let the track keep playing.
z ray
Masterpiece
jagpanzer16
I'm just curious how many people that listen to this song stop playing it when it ends at 5:31 when there is still time left (Maybe a hidden track).
John Tetley
Jag Panzer
Hey thank you for posting this song.
Cristian Portillo
I didn't stop the song but I have to admit I was very surprised when I listened "the hidden track".