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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Black
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The master of games for what they are worth
One with the darkness, one with my soul
Black is all power, black is control
It is my control
Black is the meaning of life
I hunger for the black of the night
Black
The color of greed
The answer of hope
The essence of light
Black
The heart inside you
The soul inside me
The power of night
Tis the answer for life
I hold the keys to unlock your dreams
Pleasures beyond this world has ever seen
I am desire. I am control
I am the light and darkness inside your soul
I'm inside your soul
The lyrics to Jag Panzer's song Black are an ode to the power and control that comes with embracing the dark side. The idea here is that black represents all of the unknown, all of the mystery in the world. It's the power that comes with being able to manipulate the unknown and the darkness that lies within ourselves. It is what gives us strength and control over our lives.
The first stanza talks about the birth of this power, something that descends upon the earth in flames. The master of games is the singer themselves, someone who plays with the power of darkness and unknowns. They are one with the darkness and their soul, and this is where their power comes from. The lines "Black is all power, black is control, it is my control" reiterate their mastery over these unknown elements, and it becomes clear that this is where their power lies.
In the second stanza, the singer delves deeper into what black means to them. It represents all of the base desires that we have. This includes greed, but also hope and light. It's a paradoxical statement, as black is typically associated with negativity, but the singer is using it to represent all of the facets of humanity. It's the "heart inside you" and "soul inside me", representing the power that lies within each of us. The final lines speak to the power of night and how it holds the answer to life, a nod to the unknown and the mysteries that we can never truly unravel.
Overall, this song is about embracing the darker elements of ourselves, and the power that comes from doing so. It's a celebration of the unknown and a reminder that there is power in embracing all aspects of humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Born out of flames descending upon the earth
I came into existence as a result of a fiery and destructive force that descended upon the planet
The master of games for what they are worth
I am the ultimate controller of games, and I know the true value of each game
One with the darkness, one with my soul
I am completely unified with the darkness that exists within me, spiritually and emotionally
Black is all power, black is control
The color black symbolizes complete power and control, and it is my means of obtaining and maintaining it
It is my control
I am in complete control of all aspects of my existence
Black is the meaning of life
Life's true meaning lies in the color black
I hunger for the black of the night
I crave the darkness of the night, which is represented by the color black
Black
The color black
The color of greed
Black represents greed and the desire for wealth and power
The answer of hope
Black is also the answer to achieving hope and a better future
The essence of light
Black contains the very essence of light, and is therefore a means of accessing it
Black
The color black
The heart inside you
The color black is also within your heart
The soul inside me
The color black is within my own soul as well
The power of night
The darkness of night holds immense power and influence
Tis the answer for life
The secrets of life lie within embracing the power of the color black
I hold the keys to unlock your dreams
I possess the knowledge and ability to make your wildest dreams come true
Pleasures beyond this world has ever seen
I can provide pleasures and experiences that transcend anything you have ever known or imagined
I am desire. I am control
I am the embodiment of both desire and control
I am the light and darkness inside your soul
I exist within you as both the light and the darkness
I'm inside your soul
My influence and presence extends deep within your very being
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Rikard Par Gustav St Jernquist, John Ronald Tetley, Joey Tafolla, Harry P Conklin, Mark Andrew Briody
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vegard Kværnå
Lyrics:
Born out of flames descending upon the earth
The master of games for what they are worth
One with the darkness, one with my soul
Black is all power, black is control
It is my control
Black
The color of greed
The answer of hope
The essence of light
Black
The heart inside you
The soul inside me
The power of night
Black is the meaning of life
I hunger for the black of the
night x2
I hold the keys to unlock your dreams
Pleasures beyond this world has ever seen
I am desire. I am control
I am the light and darkness inside your soul
I'm inside your soul
kev andrew
one of the all time underated bands pure class
spooky skyes
kev andrew so true :")
Vegard Kværnå
Lyrics:
Born out of flames descending upon the earth
The master of games for what they are worth
One with the darkness, one with my soul
Black is all power, black is control
It is my control
Black
The color of greed
The answer of hope
The essence of light
Black
The heart inside you
The soul inside me
The power of night
Black is the meaning of life
I hunger for the black of the
night x2
I hold the keys to unlock your dreams
Pleasures beyond this world has ever seen
I am desire. I am control
I am the light and darkness inside your soul
I'm inside your soul
LiL-Red 2D2
I'm in love with that voice and OMG that violin at the beginning.
vescara
God bless you my child 👺😊
cali4tune
Whoa I was expecting this to be maybe not as good as the old stuff but I'm pleasantly surprised... This is pretty good stuff! Good job guys!
enjoythestruggle
Should be an absolute metal anthem. Well, to me it is. :)
Mya Barboza
I'm so glad my mamma found this at a recycling bin, awesome!
SinisterAngel
Never goes outdated
PowerMadHeadBanger
Harry Conklin kicks ass on the vocals