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two key members of the Ample Destruction line-up, Jag Panzer, or more accurately Briody and Tetley, as Hilyard had also been replaced by Reynold 'Butch' Carlson (who also left in 1986 along with Tafolla), revamped the band by recruiting vocalist Bob Parduba, and guitarist Christian Lasegue.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)
Treachery's Stain
Jag Panzer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Banquo]
Me thinks something amiss, my friend MacBeth has done wrong
Has he committed a crime? to gain his kingdom
Is the lady part of this scheme? They both sin one in the same
I must warn all. And bring this carnage to an end
Banquo, how can thee betray me?
Banquo, now I must slay thee
[MacBeth]
My lady, our sins are out in the open
Our friend suspects that we are to blame
[MacBeth]
I will hire assassins to rid us of him
No one will know that we are to blame
Now that Banquo is gone we can enjoy our estate
[MacBeth]
Banquo, how can thee betray me?
Banquo, now I must slay thee
Reap what you sow, sow what you reap
The lyrics to Jag Panzer's song Treachery's Stain narrate a conversation between two characters, Banquo and MacBeth, from Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth. Banquo expresses his concerns about MacBeth's questionable actions to become king and suggests that he might have committed a crime to gain his kingdom. Banquo also accuses Lady MacBeth of being part of this scheme. Banquo decides to warn others and to stop the carnage. MacBeth, upon hearing Banquo's suspicions, decides to hire assassins to kill him to cover up his secret sin. He believes that by killing Banquo, no one will ever find out. Banquo is ultimately slain by MacBeth.
The lyrics draw heavily from the themes of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which include betrayal, power-hungry rulers, and the consequences that inevitably follow immoral actions. The song shows how the characters in the play illustrate those themes, and how the macabre and violent story ties into the message of the piece. The lyrics also include the line "Reap what you sow, sow what you reap," which is a biblical reference to the idea that one will be punished for their wrongdoings.
Line by Line Meaning
[Banquo]
Banquo senses that something is wrong and suspects his friend MacBeth of committing a crime to gain power
Me thinks something amiss, my friend MacBeth has done wrong
Banquo thinks that something is not right and believes that MacBeth has done something wrong to gain power and control
Has he committed a crime? to gain his kingdom
Banquo questions if MacBeth has used criminal means to obtain his position as king
Is the lady part of this scheme? They both sin one in the same
Banquo wonders if Lady MacBeth is involved in the plot and believes that they are equally guilty of any wrongdoing
I must warn all. And bring this carnage to an end
Banquo feels compelled to warn others and put an end to this destructive situation
[MacBeth]
MacBeth is responding to Banquo's suspicions
Banquo, how can thee betray me?
MacBeth is accusing Banquo of betraying him by suspecting him of wrongdoing
Banquo, now I must slay thee
MacBeth decides he must eliminate Banquo to prevent him from revealing any incriminating evidence
[MacBeth]
MacBeth is speaking to Lady MacBeth
My lady, our sins are out in the open
MacBeth is acknowledging that their wrongdoing has been exposed
Our friend suspects that we are to blame
MacBeth is referring to Banquo as the friend who suspects them of wrongdoing
[MacBeth]
MacBeth is planning his next move
I will hire assassins to rid us of him
MacBeth decides to hire someone to kill Banquo
No one will know that we are to blame
MacBeth is trying to ensure that they will not be held responsible for Banquo's murder
Now that Banquo is gone we can enjoy our estate
MacBeth believes that with Banquo out of the way, he and Lady MacBeth will be free to enjoy their wealth
[MacBeth]
MacBeth is repeating his accusation against Banquo
Banquo, how can thee betray me?
MacBeth believes that Banquo's suspicions about him were a betrayal
Banquo, now I must slay thee
MacBeth decides that Banquo must be killed to protect his own interests
Reap what you sow, sow what you reap
This line is a common proverb meaning that your actions will have consequences and you will bear the fruits of your labor, good or bad.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
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