Country of origin: United States Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Status: Active Formed in: 1981 Genre: Heavy/Power Metal Lyrical themes: Destruction, Warfare, Literature, Shakespeare Current label: Atomic Fire Records Years active: 1981 (as Tyrant), 1981-1988, 1993-2011, 2013-present Jag Panzer were formed in 1981 in Colorado by Harry Conklin, Mark Briody, John Tetley, and Rick Hilyard. They were originally called Tyrant, but when California based record labels became interested, they realized that there already was a band called Tyrant in California. Seeking inspiration from a book of World War II German armour in the library, they decided to rename themselves after a slightly easier-to-pronounce version of the "Jagdpanzer" (Jagd = hunt) tank. The band split up in July 2011, after lead guitarist Christian Lasegue had left the band earlier that year. The band tried to look for a replacement, but eventually decided to call it quits after thirty years. According to drummer Rikard Stjernquist, had the band continued, the lead guitar role would have been given to guitarist Jake Dreyer. In late 2013, with no official word on a reunion, the band announced three shows for 2014, with guitarist Joey Tafolla back in the line-up. The band's official biography omits the 2011 break-up. Their song "Harder Than Steel" features on the 2015 movie "Dark Places".