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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Condemned To Fight
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the time has come to force a change
Then it's time for us to come together
Then this time we see the future rearrange
Damaged and desecrated
Corrupted and controlled
Conformed to one man's vision
Taking all from us and giving nothing
Taking every freed man's rite
Lies are covering truth's perfection
Lies are smothering in site
Damaged and desecrated
Corrupted and controlled
Conformed to one man's vision
We are now condemned to fight
Calling all the eyes and ears now open
Calling all of us to stand and fight
Overpowering the old repression
Overpowering with a new insight
Damaged and desecrated
Corrupted and controlled
Conformed to one man's vision
We are now condemned to fight
Hearing all of this madman's grumbling
Heading now the rebels call
Victory now is ever present
Victory now and forever more
Lies cover truth's perfection
Lies smother all in site
Take all and give nothing
Take every freed man's rite
Damaged and desecrated
Corrupted and controlled
Conformed to one man's vision
We are now condemned to fight
The lyrics to Jag Panzer's song Condemned To Fight speak to the struggles of a society that has been damaged, desecrated, and corrupted by a single man's vision. The song calls for the oppressed to come together and fight against the repression they are facing. The lyrics highlight the lies that are covering up the truth of the situation, and the need to push back against the control that is being exerted. The song encourages rebellion and a new insight that can lead to the victory of the oppressed.
The lyrics of Condemned To Fight are a powerful critique of the corruption and repression that can occur in society when one person's vision is allowed to dominate. They call for a new approach where the oppressed come together to fight against these systems of control. The lyrics are also a warning against the power of lies and propaganda to obscure the truth and keep people oppressed.
Line by Line Meaning
When it's time for us to overrun them
When it's the right moment to take control over those who are suppressing us
When the time has come to force a change
When things have gotten too bad and we can't afford to stay passive anymore
Then it's time for us to come together
Then we need to unite and act as one force to achieve our goals
Then this time we see the future rearrange
This time our actions will cause a major shift in how things will turn out in the future
Damaged and desecrated
Our values and principles have been battered and dishonored
Corrupted and controlled
We're under the influence of corrupt leaders who manipulate us
Conformed to one man's vision
We're supposed to align ourselves with the beliefs of a single individual
Pushed back against a wall
We feel trapped and limited in our capacity to act
Taking all from us and giving nothing
Our oppressors are exploiting us and not giving anything back in return
Taking every freed man's rite
They're depriving us of our basic human rights and civil liberties
Lies are covering truth's perfection
Falsehoods and propaganda are concealing what's really happening
Lies are smothering in site
These lies are so pervasive that they impede our ability to see things clearly
Calling all the eyes and ears now open
We need everyone to be aware of what's happening and not be passive
Calling all of us to stand and fight
We're asking everyone to join us and resist the status quo
Overpowering the old repression
We're striving to break free from the oppressive system that's restricting us
Overpowering with a new insight
We have a fresh perspective that will help us win this battle
Hearing all of this madman's grumbling
We're listening to the leader who's imposing his will on us, but we're not going to take it anymore
Heading now the rebels call
We hear the call of those who are rebelling against the system, and we're going to join them
Victory now is ever present
We believe that we can succeed and achieve victory in this struggle
Victory now and forever more
We'll win and our victory will endure long after this battle is over
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.