PANZERBALLETT

In some ways this is a shredder's paradise, but the way he links in with the core saxophone sound moves this far more into jazz territory, combing to create something which is fusion in some ways, but not how it would normally be considered but instead something which is far more metallic and in your face. The music often switches between metal and free form jazz, as well as combining together to create something that is weird, esoteric, and absolutely enthralling. In many ways this is not an easy album to listen to, as it is definitely challenging, yet the right listener will also find this incredibly compelling. Given the amount of different musicians playing on this all credit must go to Zehrfeld for creating something that definitely sounds like a band. The standout for me is "No One Is Flying The Plane" by composer Jeff Novotny, which has an additional horn section and comes across as big band jazz combining with metal, with some gorgeous piano breaks and incredible bass and drums. It should never exist, but definitely make musical sense. For those who want their music to be out there, right out there.

Prime Time starts this album out with a nice chunk of chaos. This is, of course, the track with Donati joining in on drums. I find this track to be really scatterbrained and math-y, and it's a pro and a con. If you're in the mood for rhythmic intensity, this album and especially this song hits the spot. Who the Jack is Migger is one of my favorite cuts from this. At its most intense, it quite reminds me of some of the jazzier tech-death out there (such as Cynic). I love the way the arrangements allow for smooth excursions into funk, and even a Rolling Stones quote in the guitar solo. There's a lot of clear chemistry within the band, and a much clearer "form" that they're working from. Following this is Mind Your Head, one of the djentier tracks, and a short burst of intensity.

My other standout track is No One is Flying the Plane. Quite a funny title, and the humor works alongside the playfulness of the music. The horn arrangements on this track are quite nice as well, creating a lot of dissonances that I think work well in a jazz-metal context aside from the standard "atonal breakdown guitar". Someone (?) joins in on piano and spices it up before the song implodes into swing jazz. The saxophone, drums, and bass are soloed out for a while before the guitars return and bring in a lot of tension. Walkürenritt is a jazz metal Wagner quote, more evidence of the band's humor (and supposed live reputation, but I'll have to check that out later).

Urchin Vs. Octopus is another really sick track, and has one of my favorite guitar solos on this album. I think this song also speaks to the arranging skill, that the elements of the music are allowed to slow down and speed up against each other. The crossrhythms on this album are particularly apparent on this track, where two clean guitars arpeggiate slowly to harmonize a fast-paced riff. Alle Meine Ändchen incorporates more keys and synthesizer in the sound, including some mellotron-esque strings. It also, like the first track, also borders on avant-prog at times. The synth solo on this track is also pretty awesome.

By the end of the album, they throw in some more interesting tonality in the song Coconut which I feel helps with the flow. It's easy to make jazz metal a gimmic, and Panzerballett being veterans of the genre, they know how to sequence songs that are clearly distinct and enjoyable where it matters. The harmony is a lot stronger on this song, and to me it pushes this album up. SOS concludes Planet Z by quoting, in spectacular fashion, a morse code rhythmic pattern. I doubt that Panzerballett is the first to pull this off. They don't let it rule the song, but incorporate it by sprinkling it within their tight and fast-flowing arrangement plan.

In a genre full of gimmicks and big names, Planet Z stands strong with its offerings. It's diverse enough to be an interesting listen the whole way through, but also not too scatterbrained that it's hard to follow. While this is certainly a lot heavier than, for example, Thank You Scientist or the Aristocrats, I think Panzerballett is fairly accessible. Out of all the new albums on the 2020 Progarchives chart, this is one of the few that actually has a decent amount of listens already on spotify. Taking all this into account, I would consider this album 4 stars. It's thoroughly enjoyable and I would recommend it to any fans of jazzier prog metal, djent, fusion, and possibly even to anyone who's interested in modern progressive music.

Panzerballett will probably be more of a niche band, due to the highly challenging nature of the music they create. But for those who are equally fond of jazz and metal, and who tend to adore music described as challenging and avant garde in nature and spirit, for those I feel rather safe in stating that Panzerballett's latest album is a production that the greater majority will enjoy. The album also strikes me as a good introduction to this type of music for those who find such a description intriguing.

The music by Panzerballett I have experienced so far indicates that this is a band that is keenly aware of what they are doing, and that they hold a high quality as composers as well as performers. As such the albums I have experienced by them so far are also fairly equal in style and execution. This latest one may perhaps feature few more instances of material with a broader appeal, or at least more sequences where the different aspects of their sound are marginally more separated and less eclectic, but not to the point of deviating all that much from what can be expected in my opinion. It is a quality production, for those, who appreciate and enjoy an instrumental band that maneuvers between tight, quirky progressive metal, jazz-rock and RIO, this CD by Panzerballett is one that warrants an inspection.

A five star album that I am, unfortunately, marking down for lack of universal appeal and accessibility. It doesn't seem right or fair, but it is my truth: this album is not for everyone. It grows on you, but it is never going to be background kitchen or bedroom music (not that it has to be; it just isn't). Kudos to the band. Amazing performances and amazing music. Just not my cup of tea.

Panzerballett is a band that smoothly and with some elegance manages to combine jazz, fusion and metal of a technical and somewhat extreme variety. Mostly instrumental, which is to my mind a good thing, and with plenty of maneuvering space for the instrumentalists to showcase their skills. A very well made specimen of its kind, and a fairly demanding one too, to be enjoyed by those with a taste for music that defies genre conventions and covers multiple and contrasting stylistic expressions.

This first album is definitely a first attempt, and is made almost entirely of covers adapted to the then-tentative sound of PB, if you'll except two or three tracks. Among the covers are such diverse songs, as far apart as possible, ranging from the Pink Panther theme and Birdland (the WR hit track) all the way to Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Purple and Scorpions hits. You'll have a hard time recognizing the Pink Panther theme from the original, and indeed sometimes you'll get a piece of the theme to link the Zappa-meets metal lunacy of the adaptation. While the covers are relatively unrecognizable outside the main themes, it still is rather interesting to hear their musical lunacy. They tend to soften (read jazzify) the metal tracks like Winds Of Change, and harden (read metalize) the jazz tracks such as Birdland.

As for the original compositions, they rank from RIO/Avant realm (somewhere between Zappa, 90's Crimson and some 00's Californian prog/Cuneiform groups) to more metallic moments ala Sepultura, RATM and RCHP with some light cookie-monster barfs here and there. Generally it simply sounds way too complex, as if they chose to complicate things for the sake of being difficult to permeate. At times, the music can be fun, but, ultimately, the sheer repetitions of ultra-complex movements are saturating even the experienced ears. Overall, I tend to prefer the group's original composition to the treatment of the covers they chose to metamorphose. Maybe PB's merits lies in the fact that they could lead quite a few metalheads into getting acquainted with jazz idiosyncrasies (but most likely it will be a one- way street), and that attempt alone is very laudable, despite being a tad too obvious for my liking.

While PB's music is certainly one of kind and doesn't really resemble anything you've heard elsewhere, I can't say that I'm overwhelmed by the "formula", because that's pretty well what it sounds like? A chemical formula of a recipe, one that isn't immediately digestible by this aural stomach of mine, one that seems created from apparently un- mixable ingredients, and these don't actually mesh or melt into each other very well, if at all. In concert (at least the one I saw), the group constantly changes from the metal realm to the jazz idiom, but fairly rare are the actual harmonically successful meetings between the two opposite ends of their musical spectrum. And this first attempt does only confirm what I saw in concert. While musically impressive and definitely worth the investigation, I remain unconvinced and, to be honest, a bit under-whelmed.

Sub-genre:Jazz/Rock Fusion (Definite fit, but the metal guitars are aggressive enough to live in Tech/Extreme)
For Fans of: Mr. Bungle, Frank Zappa
Vocal Style: Varying male & female on only a few songs (German)
Guitar Style: Huge range of styles electric and acoustic.
Keyboard Style: one synth solo
Percussion Style: Heavy butt kickin' metal right down to tasty jazz & funk
Bass Style: Picked electric with huge style range
Other Instruments: Alto & Bari Saxophone
You are not likely to enjoy this album if: you don't like cover tunes, particularly if you want your cover tunes to be arranged exactly like the originals... particularly if you want to recognize them at all.

Summary: The outstanding Jazz/Metal Fusion band Panzerballett presents a very skilled and humorous classic rock and jazz cover tunes from the 70's interspersed with a handful of originals to break things up. The covers are rearranged as heavy jazz tunes with profoundly interesting results. Certainly more than a few purists would scream bloody murder at the result of the key change laden version of Smoke on the Water. The song is at least recognizable, unlike their version of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, which if you don't hear the first 5 seconds would sound like an original. Birdland is presented with verve and energy true to the original, with strong modern twist. The clean electric guitar solo version of Paranoid is another filled with key changes not heard in the original. This version is very, very mellow.

The originals on the album are expectantly eclectic and tongue and cheek. Zickenterror, which is a re-arrangement from the debut album stands out as a quirky, punky, funky manic joyride. Overall the album has a very strong metal element, though not as heavy as the subsequent Hart Genossen

Final Score: Easy 5 stars. I am a sucker for skill, innovation and humor, all of which are contained here.

Sub-genre:Jazz/Rock Fusion (Definite fit, but the metal guitars are aggressive enough to live in Tech/Extreme)
For Fans of: 1980, Animals as Leaders, Mr. Bungle, Frank Zappa
Vocal Style: Varying male & female on only a few songs (German)
Guitar Style: Huge range of styles electric and acoustic. Heavy as Fredrik Thordendahl, light and warm as Joe Pass
Keyboard Style: rare if any
Percussion Style: Heavy butt kickin' metal right down to tasty jazz & funk
Bass Style: Picked electric with huge style range
Other Instruments: Alto & Bari Saxophone
You are not likely to enjoy this album if: eclecticism and rapid contrast irritates you.

Summary: Wow! There is no half way about it?I LOVE THIS BAND! The easiest comparison I can make is to a more focused and jazzy Mr. Bungle. The styles within are wildly contrasting with seamless transitions and epic proficiency within each style. And this is not just an exhibition of "look what I/we can do". This is a strong body of compositions that hold their structures, even as varied as they are stylistically within each song. The jazz sections are very tasteful and would hold their own in any corner nightclub. The metal section are as heavy hitting and brutal as any Tech/Extreme band. Somehow it all fits. Perhaps most impressive is there choice of composition. Danny Elfman's The Simpsons theme, a challenging piece on its own, is further glorified by Jan Zehrfeld's arrangement with blasting Djent guitar and extended swing section. A rather unusual selection of Zappa tunes are chosen for 2 closing medleys. These guys do not shy away from a challenge. And they present with exceptional interest and taste.

Final Score: Right to the top of my playlist. 5 stars and more if I am allowed to give them. This is a band full of talent and taste that everyone with an appreciation for fusion and metal should have in their collection. Listen to this album!