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GRAVE DIGGER
The Living Dead

Napalm (2018)
Rating: 8/10

Yep, there’s certainly something cheesy about Grave Digger. Maybe it’s those distinctly Euro-metal choruses, or their engaging way of storytelling, but hey, they’ve become masters of their trade and there’s no knocking the power and talent of these German stalwarts, even if hearing Chris “Reaper” Boltendahl bellow “Shoot! Shoot! Killing’s for free…” turns my stomach.

However, at times you have to look beyond Grave Digger’s lyrics and appreciate the Gothic splendour they create within their chugging and often galloping anthems, and their umpteenth opus is full of such Germanic clichés.

Musically, the band drifts between dark, catchy moments to some delightful power metal and thrash workouts. The opening cut ‘Fear Of The Living Dead’ is jam-packed with numerous shifts and tempo changes, providing equally measure of gusty winds, smouldering fires and some thrilling guitar work which builds to a fantastic solo.

In a sense that orgy of diversity is what makes Grave Digger so mighty, but for me it’s songs such as ‘Blade Of The Immortal’ which showcase the true underlying menace of this metallic grey cloud. With its thrashy beginning the track suddenly slows to a dark, Gothic trudge whereby Boltendahl’s vocals become a malevolent snarl, and the crushing presence of axe man Axel “Ironfinger” Ritt comes to the fore as he knits together devastating, doom-laden rhythms coupled with faster blasts.

Grave Digger can be a subtle beast too; ‘When Death Passes By’ trickles into play before a fiery lick scorches the ears and Stefan Arnold’s drums bombard the skull. This is Grave Digger in straight-up metal mould, from the mystical lyrics right through to that chest-pounding chorus, although such dramatics of the latter still don’t sit easily with me and I’ve been listening to these guys since day one. But again, it’s Grave Digger doing what they do, so whether it’s the steely traipse of ‘Shadow Of The Warrior’, or the cheese-coated doom surge of ‘The Power Of Metal’, or even the daftly titled fizz of ‘Zombie Dance’ (a collaboration with Austrian labelmates Russkaja), there’s so much here that’s on offer from a unit that’s as tight as a boa constrictor’s grip. And all the while Ritt is in command of those strings there’s just no stopping this act which has been powering on for 40 years.

So in a sense I’ve become mostly accustomed to the quirks of Grave Digger knowing full well that in this mood they can crash, bang ‘n’ wallop with the best of them. Sizzling rocker ‘Fist In Your Face’ sounds like something off a rusty Motörhead opus, while the thrashing menace of ‘What War Left Behind’ and closer ‘Glory Or Grave’ are perfect examples of a band that can still reach its peak in spite of seemingly being so long in the tooth. And that’s the metallic joy of Chris Boltendahl and company, because for all those flaws and slightly oddball sing-along moments Grave Digger still remains a major force within the genre.

Neil Arnold

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