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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Tempest
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No direction where you've been or where you'll go
Its roar is deafening an angry sound that chills
Inside
Destruction follows in her wake no one left alive
Beware the tempest will there be an end in sight?
Beware the tempest will we survive this endless night?
Freezing winds blowing, bringing snow and ice along
Leaving lives and lands covered with its deadly song
Buried deep within the white is a world now past
Heaven help us find the few of us that will outlast
That will outlast
In the darkened stillness of the night what do you
Hear?
In the quiet stillness of the night is someone there?
Circling churning spinning twirling in vertigo
Destruction follows in her wake no one left alive
Winds crashing bending breaking everything in sight
Heaven help us just to make it through this night
Beware the tempest will there be an end in sight?
Beware the tempest will we survive this endless night?
Will we survive this endless night?
Will there be an end in sight?
Is then no one left alive?
Was there no one to survive?
The lyrics to Jag Panzer's song "Tempest" describe a powerful and destructive storm that leaves chaos and devastation in its wake. The storm is personified as a menacing force that is unpredictable and unstoppable, causing fear and uncertainty for those caught in its path. The opening lines paint a vivid picture of spinning and twirling motion that creates vertigo and disorientation. The storm's deafening roar intensifies the sense of danger and amplifies the destructive power that follows. Even though the "tempest" is portrayed as an entity with a consciousness, it is an unpredictable force of nature that cannot be tamed. The lyrics urge listeners to "beware" of the "tempest" and question whether there will ever be an end to its destructive force, leaving the listener with the haunting question of whether there will be anyone left alive after the storm passes.
Line by Line Meaning
Circling churning spinning twirling in vertigo
The tempest is moving in a cyclical, dizzying way that disorients those who encounter it.
No direction where you've been or where you'll go
The tempest leaves those caught in its path unsure of where they came from or where they are headed.
Its roar is deafening an angry sound that chills
The tempest's noise is overpowering and menacing, with a chilling effect on those who hear it.
Inside
The devastation caused by the tempest is not limited to physical destruction, but also affects the emotions and psyche of those affected.
Destruction follows in her wake no one left alive
The tempest leaves a trail of destruction in its path, with no survivors.
Beware the tempest will there be an end in sight?
The singer warns of the dangers of the tempest, and questions if it will ever come to an end.
Beware the tempest will we survive this endless night?
The singer urges caution in the face of the tempest, and questions whether those affected will be able to make it through the night.
Freezing winds blowing, bringing snow and ice along
The tempest brings with it cold winds, snow, and ice, which add to its destructive power.
Leaving lives and lands covered with its deadly song
The tempest leaves death and destruction in its wake, with both people and land affected.
Buried deep within the white is a world now past
The snow left behind by the tempest conceals a world that has been destroyed and is now lost.
Heaven help us find the few of us that will outlast
The singer calls out to divine help in the search for those who may survive the tempest's destruction.
In the darkened stillness of the night what do you hear?
Amidst the aftermath of the tempest's destruction, the singer questions what one can hear in the quiet of the night.
In the quiet stillness of the night is someone there?
The singer asks if anyone else is still alive in the aftermath of the tempest.
Winds crashing bending breaking everything in sight
The tempest's winds cause destruction by crashing, bending, and breaking everything in their path.
Heaven help us just to make it through this night
The singer again calls out for divine assistance in making it through the aftermath of the tempest.
Will we survive this endless night?
The singer questions whether those impacted by the tempest will be able to survive the ongoing destruction and devastation.
Will there be an end in sight?
The singer wonders if the tempest will ever come to an end.
Is then no one left alive?
The singer questions whether there are any survivors of the tempest's fatal impact.
Was there no one to survive?
The singer reflects on the possibility that there were no surviving victims of the tempest.
Contributed by Elizabeth N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.