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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Battered and Bruised
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Us all to blame
Lust and its hateful consuming of dreams plays an evil
Game
From the day we tasted the fruit the falling of
Mankind
Evil has begotten its way has left all else behind
This knowledge makes us blind
Morality divine
We have become battered and bruised
We are all fallen battered and bruised
Eve the setting of the sun
Leave nowhere to run
Time ticking in haste
Gone what a waste
Stillness of the night now loud and absurd corrupting
Every thought
Leaders of this world consumed in debate what lessons
Can be taught
The lyrics in Jag Panzer's "Battered and Bruised" paint a picture of a corrupted and diseased world where people are left to blame for their actions. The lyrics suggest that lust consumes people's dreams and plays an evil game. They compare the falling of mankind to the day when Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit, marking the beginning of evil in the world. The knowledge of this original sin has blinded people to divine morality, leading to the current state of chaos and destruction in the world. The chorus emphasizes that everyone in this world has become battered and bruised, fallen from grace, and consumed by evil.
The second verse talks about the futility of running away from the corruption and disease in the world. Time is running out and life is turning into a waste. The stillness of the night that is supposed to bring peace is now loud and absurd, corrupting every thought. The lyrics then talk about the leaders of the world consumed in debates about what lessons can be taught, despite the fact that they are part of the problem.
The lyrics of "Battered and Bruised" suggest a world that is in chaos and decline due to the corruption and disease eating away at its very fabric. The song speaks of a world where current leaders are unable to provide solutions, and everyone is left to be battered and bruised.
Line by Line Meaning
Corruption and disease have swallowed this world left
The world is now full of flaws and diseases, leaving no hope for revival.
Us all to blame
We all hold responsibility for the current state of the world.
Lust and its hateful consuming of dreams plays an evil
People's craving for more has lead to devastation, causing destruction to their dreams.
Game
Resulting in a disastrous cycle with no end.
From the day we tasted the fruit the falling of
Ever since the beginning of time when we took a step in the wrong direction.
Mankind
Human beings have been wading further away from the path of righteousness.
Evil has begotten its way has left all else behind
Darkness has devoured everything it could get its hands on, leaving nothing but misery and pain behind.
This knowledge makes us blind
This revelation of the world's current state makes us blind to the truth.
Morality divine
The only solution left is to seek divine intervention and make amends for their sins.
We have become battered and bruised
We have been defeated and hurt by the consequences of our actions.
We are all fallen battered and bruised
Every one of us has become a victim of our own doings and are struggling to find a way out.
Eve the setting of the sun
Even as time passes, there seems to be no improvement, and the future looks bleak.
Leave nowhere to run
There's no escaping the reality of what we've caused.
Time ticking in haste
Time is running out, and we must act fast if we are to bring about any change.
Gone what a waste
So much time has been wasted, and we are running out of it.
Stillness of the night now loud and absurd corrupting
Even the quietness of the night has been ruined by the chaos and corruption of the world.
Every thought
No one is safe from the intrusion of the negativity which has consumed us all.
Leaders of this world consumed in debate what lessons
Even the leaders of the world are consumed by arguments, leaving no room for growth.
Can be taught
Lessons have been there for the taking, unwarranted, and ignored.
Contributed by Matthew T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.