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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Children of the Sea
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've lost the rising sun, a final sign
As the misty morning rolls away to die
Reaching for the stars, we blind the sky
We sailed across the air before we learned to fly
We thought that it could never end
We'd glide above the ground before we learned to run, run
Oh they say that it's over
And it just had to be
Ooh they say that it's over
We're lost children of the sea, oh
We made the mountains shake with laughter as we played
Hiding in our corner of the world
Then we did the demon dance and rushed to nevermore
Threw away the key and locked the door
Oh they say that it's over, yeah
And it just had to be
Yes they say that it's over
We're lost children of the sea
In the misty morning, on the edge of time
We've lost the rising sun, a final sign
As the misty morning rolls away to die
Reaching for the stars, we blind the sky
Oh they say that it's over, yeah
And it just had to be
Oh they say that it's over
Poor lost children of the sea, yeah
Look out! the sky is falling down!
Look out! the world is spinning round and round and round!
Look out! the sun is going black, black
Look out! it's never never never coming back, look out!
The lyrics of Jag Panzer's song Children Of The Sea describe a world that has come to its end - a world where the stars have been blinded and the sun is dying. The misty morning on the edge of time where the rising sun is lost is a final sign of the end of the world as we know it. The imagery here suggests that the end has been a long time coming, but it's only now that the signs are becoming too big to ignore.
The song goes on to talk about a time before the end, where humanity was naive in its power. At one point, the lyrics read 'We sailed across the air before we learned to fly,' which suggests that humanity was once able to control the elements before it was even able to master the skies. Such imagery is nostalgic, but also sad in a way that the progress of humanity has led to its demise.
The song's chorus speaks of the lost children of the sea, a group of people who are now struggling in a world that no longer exists. In this sense, the song is more than just about the end of the world, it's also about the human condition, about how we are constantly searching for meaning in a world that is always changing.
Line by Line Meaning
In the misty morning, on the edge of time
At the dawn of time, in a hazy morning
We've lost the rising sun, a final sign
We've run out of time, a sign of the end
As the misty morning rolls away to die
As the morning fog fades away to end
Reaching for the stars, we blind the sky
Aspiring for greatness, clouding our judgment
We sailed across the air before we learned to fly
We accomplished impossible tasks before the possible ones
We thought that it could never end
We believed our reign would never stop
We'd glide above the ground before we learned to run, run
We had elevated ourselves before we could walk
Now it seems our world has come undone
Now it appears our reality has come apart
Oh they say that it's over
People indicate the end has come
And it just had to be
It was inevitable
Ooh they say that it's over
They warn that it's the end
We're lost children of the sea, oh
We're hopeless and powerless victims of our situation
We made the mountains shake with laughter as we played
We had great fun achieving the impossible
Hiding in our corner of the world
Retreating into our own small worlds
Then we did the demon dance and rushed to nevermore
Then we indulged in wild and dangerous activities and pushed ourselves to the extreme
Threw away the key and locked the door
Closed ourselves off from the outside world and trapped ourselves internally
Poor lost children of the sea, yeah
Sad, misguided souls without direction
Look out! the sky is falling down!
A warning that everything is coming undone
Look out! the world is spinning round and round and round!
A warning that things are out of control
Look out! the sun is going black, black
A warning that the light and hope in our lives is disappearing
Look out! it's never never never coming back, look out!
A warning that the damage is final and irreversible
Writer(s): Tony Iommi, William Ward, Terence Butler, Ronnie James Dio
Contributed by Jason W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kchennessey8781
I met Dio once, he's from my hometown. He was a great musician but he was also a nice bloke, real funny and down to earth. He would have loved this tribute to him.
@Alandler
R.I.P Ronnie James Dio May the king of heavy metal live forever and may his rock influence us for many years to come
@simonecrigna9700
R. I. P Ronnie James Dio
@cheryldotson6381
LOVE IT!!!
@deepsussex
I miss you already Ronnie
@cromafot
Caralho, muiiitoo bom! O Brasil aprova isso.
@emmabarajas5424
freaking awesome you guys Rock!!! \m/ 🐯😺🤘
@MetalMessiah1219
wow. this is fucking good.
@lamms6957
Such a powerfull voice.
@prasinos37
unreal,great