PANZERBALLETT, a Munich quintet, is led by Jan Zehrfeld, guitarist and composer. Their music style can best be described as jazz-metal. Jan Zehrfeld, a classically trained guitarist, joined several musicians to form a jazz-metal band after years of research. He was angry about something and thought that music would be a way to express that anger. Panzerballett’s self-titled debut was released in 2005 and received rave reviews. The band performed a number of concerts in the Munich area over the next few months. They also played at the 15th National Youth Jazz Festival, Leipzig, and the Burg Herzberg Festival. The DVD, Live at Backstage Munich 2006, was then released. After several lineup changes in 2007, jazz label ACT signed the band. In February 2008, Starke Stucke was released. After the release of the album, a small tour was organized in Germany. The album reached 26 positions on the German Jazz charts. Numerous concerts and appearances were made in 2008, including the Zappanale and opening concert of the Leverkusen Jazz Festival for John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, and the Baltic Prog Fest. There was also the self-organized Metal Jazz Festival in Munich. A few television appearances were also made. Panzerballett’s third album, Hart Genossen, was released in August 2009. The album reached #25 on the jazz charts in September 2009. It was also featured in Drums and Percussion’s January 2010 “Record Of the Month” article. The band played numerous shows in Germany and made cameo appearances (including as guests at the Arte Lounge, and on3 Radio).
