The Teutonic heavy metal trio THE GERMAN PANZER - comprised of undisputed genre heavyweights Schmier (DESTRUCTION & HEADHUNTER vocalist & bassist), Herman Frank (ACCEPT and VICTORY guitarist), and Stefan Schwarzmann (ACCEPT drummer) – will release their debut album, Send Them All To Hell, in North America on January 13, 2015.
The initial idea for the band was born when drummer Stefan Schwarzmann (who has lived in Switzerland for seven years) spoke with Nobert Mandel, owner of renowned Swiss club Z7 in Pratteln, who envisioned a trio with both Stefan and Herman in it. The bass & vocals vacancy didn’t stay open for long, as Stefan immediately reached out DESTRUCTION’s Schmier, thereby spawning THE GERMAN PANZER.
“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… ha ha ha!” states PANZER bassist and frontman Schmier. “But the idea sounded amazing from the beginning and after the first meeting with Herman Frank - the German guitar legend who everybody knows from his work with ACCEPT and VICTORY - me, 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!"
“Panzer” is the German word for tank, and naming a band after fierce war machinery might seem a bit off for some, but when you listen to the band’s lyrics and hear the onslaught their music, the tank-like intent to provoke and intimidate is spot-on.
Send Them All To Hell artwork was created by Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák (DESTRUCTION, HEADHUNTER). “We have visualized the most brutal panzer ever,” states 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! As much as I liked the idea doing something different and less stereotypical, it was so much fun to create a real POWERFUL METAL WARMACHINE full of classical clichés.”
Get a new music sample via the band’s album trailers on the Nuclear Blast YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB4brr7vf-P65Ty4G10_OMS5VWKKhc3J9
Of the self-titled track “Panzer,” Schmier comments: “We wanted a song that sounds like a steamrolling TANK - straightforward in your face! ‘Panzer' is different than the rest of the more classical material and will be a perfect live song ‘cause of its intense beat, guitar crunch, and the hypnotic chorus. Traditional metalheads might not expect a track like this from us, but the record has a wide range - from classical ACCEPT/PRIEST metal to speed metal/MOTÖRHEAD influences - so this track sure stands out with its intensity!”
“No left - no right!” declares guitarist Herman Frank. “Just straight forward like a PANZER!”
The track listing to Send Them All To Hell will be as follows:
01. Death Knell
02. Hail And Kill
03. Temple Of Doom
04. Panzer
05. Freakshow
06. Mr. Nobrain
07. Why?
08. Virtual Collision
09. Roll The Dice
10. Bleed For Your Sins
Visit THE GERMAN PANZER online at www.facebook.com/THEGERMANPANZER.