War is an art. Namely, this Danish Panzer Division is known for their morb… Read Full Bio ↴War is an art. Namely, this Danish Panzer Division is known for their morbid fascination with huge tanks. In 1993, when Michael Enevoldsen left the death metal band Illdisposed, the group was born. Uncannily, an onslaught of disagreeable circumstances were to come. In 1996, their first album, "Six Seconds Kill", was recorded and released by the label Serious Entertainment, with the debut effort very well received in the death metal scene. In 1998, a totally revamped Panzerchrist recorded their second album, "Outpost Fort Europa", also released on the Serious Entertainment-label. Only drummer/founding member Michael Enevoldsen and celebrated vocalist Lasse Hoile remained of the original line-up. In 2000, Panzerchrist released one of their heaviest albums bar none, "Soul Collector", on their shiny, new label Mighty Music. At the risk of being esoteric, the lyrics were done completely in German. Alas, it proved to be right up their fans' alley, adding a new dimension to the audial essence of total death worship. It would be unjust not to stress here that their entire body of work is apolitical and contains no rhetoric sympathetic to national socialism. Founding member of Panzerchrist, Michael Enevoldsen, had at this time switched from drums to guitars and had furthermore collected the following souls to make the absolute strongest Panzerchrist album so far: Reno Killerich (who delivers one of the most intense drum attacks in metal history), Bo Summer (whose vocals intensify the level of brutality drastically), Michael Kopietz (who used to play guitars in the death metal band Frozen Sun) and female bass player Karina Bundgaard (who also played on the previous album "Outpost Fort Europa"). The entire album is focused on war. From the song titles to the cover itself. The cover (shot by a close friend of the band who was stationed in war-ridden Kosovo) displays a graveyard with several destroyed tanks and troop carriers. To those of you interested, the tank on the cover is the Yugoslavic version of the Russian T-34 main battle tank. In 2002, the fourth album, "Roomservice", was released on Mighty Music. Still yet another line-up emerged once again. With "Roomservice" they returned to English lyrics, but the themes never changed. The music had at this point became very much blackened death metal-oriented, coupled with hyperblasts and even keyboards. In 2006, record number five, "Battalion Beast", was released on "Neurotic Records". The new album introduced a devastating new sound, for the band had moved even closer to their cold, tremolo-picking black metal roots. Reno Kiilerich left the band precariously before the recordings and was quickly replaced by Bent Bisballe Nyeng from the band Die, but his style proved ill-fitting. Again Reno recorded drums for this one yet it is uncertain if he was to stay with Panzerchrist or not. In December of the same year, long-time lead guitarist Frederik O'Carroll left the band stating: "After having thought about it for quite some time now I've decided to leave the band. I've had a great run and I wish the rest of the band the best of luck."

It is currently unknown how Panzerchrist will handle their ever-evolving line-up in future. At any rate, they fight where they are told, and they win where they fight.

Discography:
* Forever Panzer (demo, 1995)
* Six Seconds Kill (Album, Serious, 1996)
* Outpost Fort Europa (Album, Serious, 1998)
* Soul Collector (Album, Mighty Music, 2000)
* Room Service (Album, Mighty Music, 2003)
* Battalion Beast (Album, Neurotic Records, 2006)
* Bello 2007 (Compilation, Mighty Music, 2007)
* Himmelfartskommando (Compilation, Mighty Music, 2008)

Current members:
* Johnny Pump - vocals
* Lasse Bak - guitars, keyboards
* Rasmus Henriksen - guitars
* Michael Enevoldsen - bass
* Morten Løwe Sørensen - drums

Former members:
* Lasse Hoile - vocals
* Bo Summer - vocals
* Finn Henriksen - guitars
* Jes Christensen - guitars
* Kim Jensen - guitars
* Rasmus Normand - guitars
* Michael Kopietz - guitars
* Jakob Mølbjerg - guitars
* Frederik O'Carroll - guitars
* Nicolej Brink - bass
* Karina Bundgaard - bass, keyboards
* Dea Lillelund - keyboards
* Michael Pedersen - drums
* Bent Bisballe Nyeng - drums
* Reno Killerich - drums
* Lars Hald - drums

Death Approaches
Panzerchrist Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So, why didn't I see you coming?
In my breath, In my walk, In my eyes
You have been there for long and long
I saw you and recognized you
For what you were
Screamed at
Run from
And I thought I had accepted that

And it's only someone that I've fought with
For these many years
Always there
Always waiting
We have our differences
Death and me
But we are so similar
So very alike
Two stiffs in a village
Always comes to blows
But you're here now

And come between me
Me and my life

Overall Meaning

In these lines, the singer is reflecting on their own mortality and the inevitability of death. They ask themselves why they didn't see it coming, even though it has been with them all along, existing in every breath, step, and thought. The singer acknowledges that they have been aware of death's presence for a long time and have tried to avoid it by screaming and running away but ultimately accepted its reality.

The singer then personifies death as someone they have been fighting against for many years, always present and waiting. The singer recognizes that while they may have their differences, they are in some ways similar, both being 'stiffs in a village' who always come to blows. However, now that death has arrived, they are about to lose their life to death, and it is forced to come between the singer and the life they have lived.

The song seems to be a reflection on the inevitability of death and our relationship with it. While we may try to deny or avoid death, it is always present and waiting, and ultimately, we must accept it as a part of life. Death can be seen as an opponent we fight against, yet there is a similarity between us as humans who are finite and limited by our mortality.

Line by Line Meaning

So, why didn't I see you coming?
I wonder why I failed to notice your arrival?

In my breath, In my walk, In my eyes
You have been present around me for so long that you have become a part of me.

You have been there for long and long
You have been present around me for a prolonged duration.

I saw you and recognized you
I finally acknowledged your existence and who you are.

For what you were
I finally understood the true nature of your presence.

Screamed at
I tried to push you away by yelling out loud.

Run from
I tried to escape from your grip.

And I thought I had accepted that
I believed I had come to terms with your presence.

And it's only someone that I've fought with
I have had a long-standing rivalry with you.

For these many years
Our rivalry goes back many years.

Always there
You have always been present in my life.

Always waiting
You have always been waiting for the inevitable moment.

We have our differences Death and me But we are so similar So very alike
Although we have our differences, Death and I share many similarities.

Two stiffs in a village Always comes to blows
We are like two tough rivals in a battleground, always ready to fight.

But you're here now And come between me Me and my life
But now that you are here, you are placing a barrier between me and my life, separating us for eternity.

Contributed by Sophia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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