ACCEPT And DESTRUCTION Members Join Forces In PANZER; Debut Album Due In November

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 frontman of DESTRUCTION, guitarist Herman Frank (ACCEPT, VICTORY) and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann (ACCEPT, ex-RUNNING WILD).

PANZER's debut album, "Send Them All To Hell", will be released on November 28.

"If you are a metalhead, you will love PANZER, I'm a 100% sure about it," promises Schmier.

The initial idea for PANZER was born when Schwarzmann, who 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 make best use of the the down time between touring and recording. To make a long story short: Nobert Mandel (owner of Z7) had the idea to put together 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 Schmier right at hand — and so PANZER was formed.

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!"

He continued: "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 and are part of the art.

"My lyrics criticize... I don't pray," added 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 will remember 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.

The first trailer for "Send Them All To Hell" can be seen below.