Nuclear Blast recently 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, Running Wild). 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.

Panzer have released the single, "Panzer", available digitally via Amazon MP3, iTunes, Google and Nuclear Blast MP3. A lyric video can be seen below.

Commented frontman Schmier: "Like a Panzer … - the self-titled track "Panzer" is a marching song monster that is different than the rest of the more classical material. We wanted a song that sounds like a steamrolling TANK - straightforward in your face! 'Panzer' will be a perfect live song, cause of its intense beat, guitar crunch and the hypnotic chorus! Traditional metaheads might not expect a track like this from us, but the record has a wide range from classical Accept/Priest metal up to speed metal/Motörhead influences - so this track sure stands out with its intensity!”

Schmier comments on the album cover art: “The German Panzer with a fantasy cover? No way! As much as I liked the idea doing something different and less stereotype, it was so much fun to create a real powerful war machine full of classical clichés.”

The artwork was created by Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák, who also created the recent artworks of Destruction and Headhunter. “Together with this great and crazy guy, we have visualized the most brutal Panzer ever,” adds Schmier. "You will find a lot of details that you won’t recognize at first sight - hints to our lyrics and stuff that goes deeper than just the first martial impression! We will show you an intense cover trailer that will show all the fine points of this classical metal art that fits perfect with our music very soon!"

 

 

The tracklisting of Send Them All To Hell will be as follows:

“Death Knell”
“Hail And Kill”
“Temple Of Doom”
“Panzer”
“Freakshow”
“Mr. Nobrain”
“Why?”
“Virtual Collision”
“Roll The Dice”
“Bleed For Your Sins”

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

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!”

Metal Shock Finland recently caught up with Destruction frontman Schmier to discuss his new band, Panzer. An excerpt from the interview is available below:

Schmier: “We were surprised about the interest that came before we even had something to listen to! So that was interesting to see that people are supporting us before they even heard the music. That’s really kind and I think it’s a killer album – melodic, catchy good hooks, but fast and heavy. I would totally buy it. We don’t know what to expect, how it’s received, people will also be excited when they hear the material because I think it’s a really strong record with great metal moments, I’m very excited!”

Go to this location to hear the complete audio interview.