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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Moors
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the fields of our fathers land
Marsh green pride of ENGLAND
On the moors our fathers rest
Their tales are not forgotten
In the days of kings and honor
Knights defended pure hearts
Their tales are boldly spoken (LISTEN)
Bend your ear in amazement
Hear this tale from long ago
Of magic and of madmen
Loves tangled web of woe
One shining knight in silver
Intentions pure as gold
One maiden fair as moonlight
Dressed in royal robes
On the fields of our fathers land
Marsh green pride of ENGLAND
On the moors our fathers rest
Their tales are not forgotten
On these fields pure love is sought
Yet vengeance has it's cruelty
The search for truth and honor
Is blinded by a beauty
The lady of the lake holds the power of a nation
A sword of valor held high above all else
A royal maiden cries out her song of longing
Longing for her shining knight to take her to the stars
On these fields of green they lay
Entwined in lovers union
A brave knight knowing nothing more
Than following his heart
When the MOORS sing out their story
A kings heart will be broken
Broken by a lifelong friend
And his bride they call the queen of wales
Hold true to your heart
Hold true to your soul
Hold true to your country men
Hold true and never falter
Love will conquer all
History has proved
Kings and kingdoms crumble
On the soft green MOORS of ENGLAND
O'er the kings round table
Jealousy rears its head
Honor has no place this night
The kings heart is filled with dread
Excaliber the sword of truth
Penetrates the soul
It leaves a wound that never heals
Now the queen will pay with her very soul
A gallant knight will fight this day
For queen and for honor
Gladly ending all the strife
Between a queen and king
Once Morgana's spell is broken
By this shining knight in silver
Trading life's blood for his honor
Is a brave Knights highest deed
The song, "Moors" by Jag Panzer, speaks about the pride of England and the tales of the fathers that are not forgotten. The lyrics take the listener to a time when knights defended pure hearts and fought honorably on the fields where their fathers rested. The song tells the tale of love and vengeance entwined in a tangled web of woe. The lady of the lake holds the power of the nation, and a sword of valor is held high above all else. A royal maiden cries out her song of longing, and a brave knight will fight for queen and honor, ending all strife between a queen and king. In the end, the message is to hold true to heart, soul, and country and never falter because love will conquer all.
Line by Line Meaning
On the fields of our fathers land
This song tells about the tales and history of our forefathers on their land
Marsh green pride of ENGLAND
This line refers to the lush green fields of England which depict pride
On the moors our fathers rest
This line tells about the burial site of our ancestors on the moors
Their tales are not forgotten
Even after so many years have passed, the stories of our forefathers are still alive and not forgotten
In the days of kings and honor
In the era of kings and chivalry
Knights defended pure hearts
Knights fought to protect the virtuous and kind-hearted
On the fields where our fathers rest
On the same land where our ancestors were buried
Their tales are boldly spoken (LISTEN)
Their stories are spoken with courage and conviction even today
Bend your ear in amazement
Listen in astonishment
Hear this tale from long ago
Listen to this legendary story from the past
Of magic and of madmen
The story is about magic and crazy people
Loves tangled web of woe
The love story has a complicated and unfortunate outcome
One shining knight in silver
A notable knight dressed in silver armor
Intentions pure as gold
The knight had an objective with pure and good intentions
One maiden fair as moonlight
A young beautiful woman whose skin glows like moonlight
Dressed in royal robes
She wore clothes that signify her status as a royal
On these fields pure love is sought
The couple fell in love on the same fields where their ancestors lay buried
Yet vengeance has it's cruelty
Although love prevails, the urge to seek revenge can be brutal
The search for truth and honor
The desire for recognition and loyalty
Is blinded by a beauty
The knight's sense of right is overshadowed by the maiden's beauty
The lady of the lake holds the power of a nation
A lady from the lake holds the authority to influence a nation
A sword of valor held high above all else
A sword representing courage and heroism held high above everything else
A royal maiden cries out her song of longing
A princess sings a sorrowful song of yearning
Longing for her shining knight to take her to the stars
The princess desires to elope with the knight and live happily ever after
On these fields of green they lay
The couple lays on the green fields of their ancestors
Entwined in lovers union
The couple is tightly wrapped in a loving embrace
A brave knight knowing nothing more
The knight had nothing else in his thoughts but his love for the princess
Than following his heart
He follows his heart and takes steps to attain his desire
When the MOORS sing out their story
Hear the story of the Moors through their songs
A kings heart will be broken
The king will have his heart shattered with the revelation in the story
Broken by a lifelong friend
By the betrayal of a friend he held dear for many years
And his bride they call the queen of wales
The woman he married and is now the queen of Wales
Hold true to your heart
Stay true to your desires
Hold true to your soul
Remain faithful to yourself and your beliefs
Hold true to your country men
Remain loyal to your fellow citizens
Hold true and never falter
Have conviction and never waver
Love will conquer all
The power of love is enough to overcome any obstacle
History has proved
The past can verify the power of love
Kings and kingdoms crumble
The unshakable empires built by kings sometimes falter
On the soft green MOORS of ENGLAND
On the lush and fertile countryside of England
O'er the kings round table
Above the table where the King and his knights sit
Jealousy rears its head
Envy surfaces from the King's jealousy
Honor has no place this night
Chivalry is not present or won't be followed on that night
The kings heart is filled with dread
The king's heart is filled with worry
Excaliber the sword of truth
Excalibur is known as a symbol of truth and righteousness
Penetrates the soul
The sword represents an idea that goes beyond physical form
It leaves a wound that never heals
It signifies an injury that can never be repaired or restored
Now the queen will pay with her very soul
The queen's guilt will consume her mentally
A gallant knight will fight this day
A brave and heroic knight will rise to the occasion
For queen and for honor
He fights for justice and his queen's reputation
Gladly ending all the strife
Disturbances will come to a pleasant end
Between a queen and king
Between the queen and her husband, the king
Once Morgana's spell is broken
Once the magic spell put on the king is lifted
By this shining knight in silver
The knight in shining armor destroys the spell
Trading life's blood for his honor
The knight trades his life to uphold his honor and virtue
Is a brave Knights highest deed
The greatest act of bravery a knight can do
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Zen
This song was introduced to me what seems like ages ago, by a friend who was into extremely uncommon music. Found myself thinking about it's lyrics a couple years later and couldn't think who performed it. Took a googling of the lyrics (which I remembered crystal clear because of the story the song tells) to finally find out that it was this band. I'm so glad I found it again, it's a masterpiece that could easily fit straight into a medieval fantasy movie (or a game of D&D)
TheRlotti
Masterpiece! The story of power metal!
Jordan Kovacsik
indeed everyone needs a little jag in the panzer.
travis castillo
I wish that I still had this album, but this is better, no fumbling around switching plugs and formats.