Nuclear Blast has announced the signing of the true teutonic heavy metal trio, Panzer. The new German supergroup is comprised of three undisputed genre legends: vocalist and bassist Schmier, best known as fronter of Destruction, guitarist Herman Frank (Accept, Victory), as well as drummer Stefan Schwarzmann (Accept, ex-Running Wild).

“If you are a metalhead you will love Panzer, I'm a 100% sure about it”, vows Schmier.  

 

 

To celebrate the nearing end of the year with a real killer release, the first Panzer onslaught, entitled Send Them All To Hell, will roll down onto the unholy European soil on November 28th.

The initial idea was born when drummer Stefan Schwarzmann, who has relocated to Switzerland about seven years ago, had a chat with the owner of renowned Swiss club Z7 in Pratteln. The two tried to figure out a way to fill the empty space within touring and recording, the venue has been facing with its most frequently playing bands. To make a long story short: Nobert Mandel (owner of Z7) had the idea of a trio, with both Stefan and Herman in it. The only vacancy for bass and vocals wouldn’t stay open for long, as Stefan had the phone number and mail address of Destruction's Schmier right at hand – and so “The German Panzer” was born!

Commented Schmier: “When Stefan Schwarzmann, drummer of Accept and an old friend came to me with the idea of putting a band together, I first thought he tried to fool me… hahaha! But the idea sounded amazing from the beginning and after the first meeting with Herman Frank, the German guitar legend,  that everybody knows from his work with Accept and Victory and Stefan, we realized really fast, that this team could really kick some serious ass together. And Instead of talking too long about it, we started writing songs right away and within some weeks had half of the album recorded and it sounded wicked! We don t wanna re-invent the metal-wheel. We play the music we love, easy as that and it’s great fun cause we all dig this shit since we are teenagers!"

Naming a band after fierce war machinery might seem a bit off for some, but if you take a look at the lyrics, this is picture perfect. The lyrics provoke, criticize and are part of the art. “My lyrics criticize... I don t pray,” adds Schmier.

And as difficult as the search for a name was at first, with all members being German die-hards and organizers of the Teutonic scene, Panzer seemed to be the name everybody remembers right away.

As for the album title, Send Them All To Hell was almost mandatory, as these are the first words to be heard on the record, with Schmier whispering them into the mic. With the exception of two tracks that feature all three members, all songs are written entirely by Herman Frank and Schmier.

If you like it heavy, more melodic or if you dig speed metal, then Panzer will hit right on. Or to say it with Hermann Frank: “No left - no right! Just straight forward like a Panzer!”

Watch the first trailer to get an idea of this teutonic explosion: