The Grave Digger

by Grave Digger

Overview

Now properly recognized as a German power metal institution, Grave Digger continues to carry the torch for the genre the band helped spawn (alongside the likes of Helloween and Rage) back in the '80s. In fact, after the group's brief dissolution and inexplicable name change to Digger at the end of that decade, the band (now inextricably linked to charismatic frontman Chris Boltendahl) made an unexpected return to form in the '90s and has continued to deliver impressively consistent efforts ever since. The band's ninth studio album, the lavishly packaged but plainly titled The Grave Digger, doesn't buck this trend, offering a batch of tightly woven anthems representing the best elements of power metal. Boltendahl's alternately clean and dirty vocals combine with a rough and raw guitar attack to offset the album's more refined sonic accoutrements, such as chorused vocals, keyboards, and synths. Used sparingly and effectively, these provide the necessary colorings and support without interfering with the "meat" of the matter here: heavy metal. Thus, highlights like "Son of Evil," "King Pest," and "Haunted Palace" are propelled by a furious barrage of double kick drums and lightning staccato riffing in the best power metal tradition, and while it's easy to attack Grave Digger's more cliche-laden transgressions (culminating as expected in the overblown orchestration of the ballad "Silence"), the truth is that mid-paced numbers like "Scythe of Time" and the absolutely awesome Edgar Allen Poe-inspired "Raven" (note its stunning clean-riffing outro) are pure metal delights. All these are hardly reinventing the wheel, but they're performed with such conviction and disarming honesty that questioning their intentions is really just nasty and petty. In short, for a band that's never gotten much respect over the years Grave Digger's influence on the power metal genre is undeniable and, with its unassuming excellence, The Grave Digger is a perfect example why. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2020
Label:	METALVILLE
UPC:	4250444187584

Tracks

1. Son of Evil
2. The Grave Digger
3. Raven
4. Scythe of Time
5. Spirits of the Dead
6. The House
7. King Pest
8. Sacred Fire
9. Funeral Procession
10. Haunted Palace
11. Silence
12. Black Cat

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Grave Digger   Primary Artist
Jens Becker   Bass
Manni Schmidt   Guitar
Olaf Senkbeil   Vocals (Background)
Hans Peter Katzenburg   Keyboards
Hacky Hackmann   Vocals (Background)
Stefan Arnold   Drums
Chris Boltendahl   Vocals

Technical Credits

Resetti Brothers   Mixing
Chris Boltendahl   Arranger,Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Concept Design,Pre-Production
Joerg Umbreit   Engineer,Producer
Jens Becker   Arranger,Composer,Pre-Production
Manni Schmidt   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Pre-Production
Britta Kuehlmann   Engineer
Markus Mayer   Design,Cover Art,Photography,Booklet Design,Concept Design,Cover Art Concept
Henning Winter   Engineer
Jens Peter Rosendahl   Photography