After studying jazz guitar in Los Angeles, Graz, Helsinki and Munich, German guitarist JAN ZEHRFELD set out to create a band that combined elements of jazz and metal. The result was PANZERBALLETT, a tight-knit and chops-laden outfit that ultimately mixed electric jazz, death metal, funk, math rock and a lot of other things in-between. That's not surprising when you consider that Jan's list of musical influences includes MESHUGGAH, MATS/MORGAN, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SCREAMING HEADLESS TORSOS and ALLAN HOLDSWORTH.
In the traditional style of jazzers interpreting well-known compositions, PANZERBALLETT makes a habit of re-working familiar music, yet in a way that re-envisions it as anything but traditional. Whether rendering original compositions or taking ownership of old favorites, the performance energy is always high, the arrangements are unexpected and eclectic, the playing is ferocious and often tongue is placed firmly in cheek.
Described as JOHN ZORN meets Meshuggah, or as the German newspaper Die Welt has said, "faster than Metallica, more powerful than Motörhead, and funnier than Rammstein," PANZERBALLETT is pushing fusion in a different direction. ProgDay is thrilled to welcome them on their first journey to the US.
