Discography
HEAVY METAL BREAKDOWN
Grave Digger comes bursting onto the scene as a sledgehammer directly aimed at dethroning and crushing the reigning masters of German metal, Accept. And does so with a proven formula, opening mosh Headbanging man being something of a garage Flash rockin' man (yes, that shameless). And as if that wasn't enough, the following title track rips the main riff from the very same song! Now, you shouldn't think Grave Digger as worthless Accept clones. They aren't, although the similarities are pinpointed quite effortlessly (and they just as clearly have their own sound). Same driving riff style, tight drumming, raspily unpleasant yet naturally dictating vocals, and dashing, almost floating choruses. And like early Accept, very poorly produced. The guitar sound on this album is extremely raw, which usually wouldn't bother me, but here the guitars creates a frustrating over-distortion grind that unfortunately overshadows the entire album. Songs themselves are mainly riff-strong mid-tempo 'bangers, and some of them suffer more than others from the poor sound quality. 2000 lightyears from home in particular has enormous potential, but is botchered rather mercilessly (despite of which, can't possibly be disguised what a killer song lies deep, deep underneath). And, no, Yesterday is not the Beatles song (far better, for your information :) ), and Tyrant is not the old Priest staple (impossible to do better, so why even try?). The title track and said Yesterday are my faves here, one mega-mosher and one softie (I actually think the distorted guitar sound fits Yesterday very well). The same song is also a perfect display of Chris B's versatile voice talent, which will be fully developed on future works. Lyrics should be taken with a grain of salt (peeking at the songtitles, you already figured that out, didn't you?). And what's up with the sleeve art anyway? This is a party album, for people who know to have a good time and don't go too deep in the music. As such it works very well, and its faultiness becomes less decisive. A little immature recording perhaps, but the band's talent is hard to mask, and I wouldn't think twice about giving it a higher rating with proper equipment, execution and mastering (further ensuring me how much reality bites). This is metal in its purest form, taking no prisoners now or then.
Best songs: Yesterday; Heavy metal breakdown; Headbanging man
WITCH HUNTER
Grave Digger's sophomore effort falls along the lines of fellow kraut-rockers Running Wild's contemporary outputs. Better production but weaker songs, with an overall result that is slightly below the debut. Guitars sound much better on this album, and does not blend together with the bass anymore (I wonder if they even had a bass player on the debut album?). Unfortunately, the songwriting is more generic and unmemorable, with roughly half the album being slightly fillerish. Best tracks are Get ready for power, Love is a game, Get away, and in particular closing Here I stand. The cover (guess which) feels pretty perfunctory, but is well-performed (great drums!) and by no means worse than the original. I think there's a track called Would it be the same about as well, but I don't know if that's a bonus track on certain releases or what, and I haven't heard it yet. Even though some of the tracks are kinda plain (first two are the weakest), this album - like the debut - possesses a certain primordial force that cannot be disregarded (that's the classic metal crunch splitting your ears, pal). You tend to like it more when playing it than in between sessions. So, that is usually the case, but more than usual with this album, because it's not as memorable as the debut and you easily forget that it actually rocks! Bitta German accent shining through in the title track as well, but that only adds to the amusing teeny-ness of the mosh. And Chris Bolthendahl truly has an imposing voice otherwise. Kinda strained and screechy, but once you get used to it (you better, it will not change), you'll find it commanding the music like any other Caesar watching over his armies. Lyrics are still a joke, but that doesn't really matter in this kind of release, where "kill" is the most convincing argument (and you better believe this band refined their soundscape over the years). If you take in account how the band has progressed since these early years, this "teenage frustration" becomes even more apparent and comprehensible. And it works, so who am I to complain?
Best songs: Here I stand; Get away; Get ready for power