Released By: RPM ROAR
Release Date: January 17th, 2025
Genre: Heavy/Power Metal
Links: https://www.grave-digger.de/
Line Up:
Chris Boltendahl – Vocals
Tobias Kersting – Guitars
Jens Becker – Bass
Marcus Kniep – Drums
Tracklist:
1. Bone Collector
2. The Rich, the Poor, the Dying
3. Kingdom of Skulls
4. Thw Devil’s Serenade
5. Killing is My Pleasure
6. Mirror of Hate
7. Riders of Doom
8. Made of Madness
9. Graveyard Kings
10. Forever Evil and Buried Alive
11. Whispers of the Damned
It’s rare to see a metal band still firing on all cylinders after 4+ decades, but that’s very much the case with German heavy/metal band Grave Digger, who will be celebrating their 45th anniversary in 2025, and they will be doing so with the release of their 22nd full length album, Bone Collector. The past few years have been very busy for frontman Chris Boltendahl, who’s showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever, as he continues to release great new music on a consistent basis. Following a brief break to work on a solo project, he has returned with a new album from his main band, and it’s one longtime fans in particular are sure to love, as it has a very classic, very raw sound to it.
Grave Digger have always been known for having an aggressive, guitar driven sound, with very heavy riffs, intense, raw vocals, and a focus on pure metal with no nonsense, and all of that is very much true of Bone Collector. In fact, the band has stated that this is their very first album to not have a single use of keyboards, leaving the guitar, bass and drums to do all the heavy lifting, and of course, “heavy” is the optimal word here. The band has a very distinct sound, and their albums are always on the heavier side of power metal, but some of their past few albums have been a bit more melodic at times, which is definitely not the case this time around. This album harkens back to the band’s old days, and is by far their rawest sounding album since at least Return of the Reaper, though I’d say it’s even more raw and classic sounding than that album was. The songs here aren’t quite as raw and primitive sounding as those on Exhumation (a collection of re-recorded tracks from the band’s first three albums) but the overall sound is very raw and old-school sounding, with the production feeling deliberately dialed back to allow the heaviness of the guitars and drums to fully shine through. While most of their recent albums were a mix of heavy metal and power metal, I’d say this album brings back some of the intense, fiery speed metal sound they had on their first few albums, as some songs here are very thrashy, and surprisingly fast-paced, even by power metal standards, with “The Rich, the Poor, the Dying” in particular almost sounding like pure thrash at points.
There’s been a major change to the lineup since Symbol of Eternity, which is the departure of guitarist Axel Ritt, who’s been replaced by Tobias Kersting. He should be familiar to Orden Ogan fans, as well as those who listened to Boltendahl’s Steelhammer solo album in 2023, as he was the lead guitarist on that album. For the most part, the guitar work is in line with what longtime fans would expect, as it’s very aggressive, very energetic and very raw sounding. If anything, I’d say there’s a bit more of a thrash/speed metal influence in some of the guitar work, and the guitar solos are a bit more technical and more adventurous at points. Overall, he fits in perfectly with the band, and definitely does a great job of bringing the kind of classic metal sound Boltendahl is going for with this album. Unlike the past few albums, there’s no overarching concept here, though the grim reaper is mentioned a few times, and there’s themes of death and violence throughout, which are both typical Grave Digger fare. Songwriting is excellent throughout, with a nice mix of speedier tracks, some mid-paced tracks, and a sort of power ballad, which closes out the album. It’s not the most dynamic or unique Grave Digger album, but there’s a very good flow to the tracks, and every track is great in its own way. Obviously, Boltendahl is as powerful and animated as usual with his vocals, and his voice still sounds as great as ever.
The album kicks off with the title track, which opens up with some sound effects, before the heavy guitar work kicks in, and it quickly turns into the kind of energetic, up-tempo opener fans would expect from the band. The guitars are thick and heavy throughout, with a very classic sound, and Boltendahl sounds fiery as always throughout the verses, which move at a steady pace. The chorus slows down slightly, but is still intense, with a steady rhythm to the drums and vocal delivery, which really puts an extra emphasis on the lyrics. The guitar solo is very classic sounding, and sounds great. Next is “The Rich, the Poor, the Dying”, which opens up very quickly with some thrashy guitar work, and once the drums fully kick in it goes full throttle, moving at a frantic pace, with some incredibly raw, aggressive guitar work and intense vocals from Boltendahl. It never loses momentum at any point, constantly moving along in a rush, and it’s by far one of the speediest and most thrash infused songs I’ve ever heard from Grave Digger. The verses are already intense, but the chorus somehow manages to add an extra layer of heaviness to the guitar work, while the vocal delivery remains intense, and then the solo kicks in and the song only gets even thrashier from there. It’s a very fun track, with a strong retro feel to it, and it’s by far my favorite on the album.
Things only calm down slightly with lead single “Kingdom of Skulls”,a more typical heavy/power metal track, which alternates nicely between slow and speedy passages. It starts off slow, speeds up a bit, and then slows down again during the opening verse, which is more moderately paced, with a mix between classic heavy metal riffs and aggressive vocals from Boltendahl. The tempo picks up for the chorus, which is a bit more melodic and catchy, but still quite heavy, and the guitar work has a sinister sound to it. The solo has a very classic power metal feel, and is one of the highlights of the track. The first slower track of the album is “The Devil’s Serenade”, a heavy metal track, with a bit of a classic arena rock feel to it. It moves at a fairly moderate tempo, and while the guitar is still slightly heavy, it has a more restrained and melodic sound, compared to on the previous few tracks. The verses are very laid back, while the chorus is a bit more intense, with a strong emphasis on the vocals. It’s a very fun and catchy track, and while it’s not one of my favorites on the album, I can see it being a lot of fun in a live setting.
Perhaps the most prototypical Grave Digger track on the album is “Killing is My Pleasure”, which feels more in line with their previous few albums, while still sounding a bit more raw. It moves at a fast pace throughout, with heavy riffs that have more of a classic power metal sound to them. The verses are heavy and a bit dark in spots, while the chorus is a bit lighter, but still fast and heavy, with some excellent vocals. The solo section starts off thrashy, but then turns back to classic power metal, and it’s another instant highlight. Next is a pair of slower tracks, starting with “Mirror of Hate”. This track moves at a fairly slow pace, and has a classic heavy metal feel to it. The verses are fairly calm and laid back, with softer guitar work and a strong focus on atmosphere, as well as some of Boltendahl’s softer vocals. The chorus is a bit more upbeat, and it’s quite melodic and catchy, while also having some heavy guitar work. Interestingly, there’s some sort of growls in the leadup to the chorus, which isn’t something I noticed on the rest of the album, or much at all on previous Grave Digger albums. The second of the slower tracks is “Riders of Doom”, and the title is quite apt, as the track has a classic doom metal feel to it, with very slow, dark and atmospheric guitar work. There’s a nice groove to the chorus, while the verses are fairly slow and moody. The song is very dark and atmospheric throughout, though the chorus is a bit more energetic than the verses, and the guitar solo is also fairly laid back, but still excellent. It’s certainly one of the more interesting songs the band has done in recent years, even if it’s not a personal favorite.
There’s a very nice, soft instrumental section to open up “Made of Madeness”, but that doesn’t last long, as the heavy guitars and frantic drums kick in shortly, and from there the track turns into another energetic, up-tempo speed metal track. The verses are fast-paced and intense, while the chorus has a very classic speed metal sound to it, with thrashy riffs, frantic vocals and catchy lyrics. The solo section starts off slow, but soon speeds up and remains quite thrashy throughout. This is probably my favorite track on the second half of the album. Next is “Graveyard Kings”, another fairly typical track for the band. It has a very nice groove, moving at more of a marching pace, with moderately heavy guitar work and drums. The verses are heavy and energetic while the chorus is very fun and catchy.
The last heavy track of the album is “Forever Evil and Buried Alive”, another frantic, heavy track with a strong speed metal feel to it. The main riff is very classic Grave Digger sounding, but with an extra burst of intensity to it. The verses are fast and heavy, but still feel more like a buildup to the chorus, where the band goes all out, and it’s very aggressive, yet still fun and catchy. The guitar solo is fairly brief, but also quite technical and a lot of fun. Closing out the album is “Whispers of the Damned”, a power ballad, led by soft, moody guitar work. The track starts off very calm, with nice melodic guitar work during the opening verse, and Bolendahl sings softly. It builds up intensity as it goes along, with the chorus being slightly heavier and having just a slight hint of metal, and then during the second verse the guitar starts getting a bit heavier, and Boltendahl’s vocals become more intense. There’s an extended guitar solo in the middle, which is excellent, and it’s followed up by a brief spoken section from Boltendahll. As far as ballads go, this is definitely one of the better ones I’ve heard from the band, as it has a strong atmosphere throughout, the instrumental work is very good, and Boltendahl sounds surprisingly strong the whole way through. It closes the album out on a strong note.
Grave Digger continues to show no signs of slowing down, and Bone Collector is yet another excellent album, with more of a raw, speed metal infused sound than any of their past few albums. Longtime fans should be very pleased with how heavy and energetic this album is, as it has a surprisingly raw, classic sound to it for a modern album, without sounding outdated in the least. It’s not one of my personal favorites by the band, but I still greatly enjoy it, and I think heavy/power metal fans looking for something a bit more raw, dark and intense should definitely give it a shot.
Ratings: 8/10
Written by: Travis Green
My Global Mind – Staff Writer
Travis Green is a Canadian based writer for My Global Mind, with a particular passion for power metal, as well as an interest metal in all its forms.