Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Grave Digger
Label: Napalm Records
Release: 2010
Length: 53:40
Rating: 2.5/5
The new studio album from the German Teutonic heavy-metal woodchoppers, the one-of-a-kind metalheads Grave Digger, is on its way. It’s their fifteenth! Grave Digger haven’t budged a millimeter with it when it comes to arrangements and the way they put songs together. With the ideas gone, they naturally try to wrap the whole thing up in some new packaging so they stay interesting to the fans of their music. So once again they’ve turned to the subject of Scotland. If “Tunes Of War” (1996), one of the most celebrated works in the entire Grave Digger discography, told the story of Scotland’s historic fall under the English yoke, “The Clans Will Rise Again” tells it a little differently. So Grave Digger are heading back to Scotland. First off, the album isn’t a concept record, but it does touch on the land of Scotland, its mysticism and its people. However hard Boltendahl and the gang try to steer the listener elsewhere, it’s clear throughout that behind it all is an attempt to recapture the success of “Tunes Of War”.
Even though we can’t expect earth-shaking bursts of wild imagination and creative inspiration from Grave Digger, since the band’s evolution wrapped up long ago, “The Clans Will Rise Again” does bring something new. On it, Grave Digger introduce their new member. That’s guitarist Axel Ritt, who came to Grave Digger from the band Domain.
The previous guitarist, Manni Schmidt, left Grave Digger because of growing tension and disagreements over the band’s musical direction. The differences in musical vision proved impossible to bridge with band boss Chris Boltendahl. Given the theme Boltendahl picked for the new album, it’s now perfectly clear that he had to get rid of Schmidt first. Schmidt was pushing for change, not for looking back at Grave Digger’s (already tried and tested) artistic range. So a gap opened up in the lineup, and a new guitarist arrived on the team: eager to prove himself, obedient, doing as he’s told and diligent in carrying out his duties. Is that always a good thing?
For building cohesion in the rebuilt lineup, it’s certainly a good thing. For expressiveness, not necessarily. Changing guitarists in Grave Digger has never been a simple matter. Uwe Lulis was famous for a special sound and style that he developed and that left an unforgettable stamp on some of Grave Digger’s most striking works, from the albums “The Reapper” (1993) to “Excalibur” (1999). His departure alone sparked a pile of doubts about who could effectively pick up where he left off. Manni Schmidt’s arrival revived Grave Digger and a new wave of creative freshness swept through the band. The most interesting albums with Manni in the lineup are the first (“The Grave Digger”, 2001) and the last (“Ballads Of A Hangman”, 2009).
Continuing the story with Axel Ritt doesn’t bring the kind of surprise to “The Clans Will Rise Again” that the change in 2000 did, when “Excalibur” got an even better successor in the album “The Grave Digger”. The first impression you get with Ritt in the lineup is that the guy simply uses guitar phrases that have already been invented and used, slotting them into different combinations within the main motifs of individual songs. His solos are minimalist, and the approach doesn’t give you the feeling of a guitar oddball, the way Uwe Lulis or Manni Schmidt once were in Grave Digger. Schmidt outdid Lulis in absolutely every aspect of how the guitar was used for Grave Digger. When Schmit kicked off a solo, you knew only Manni could pull a solo like that out of himself. For Grave Digger you don’t have to be Joe Satriani, but you do have to be a one-of-a-kind in how you sense music and deliver it to the masses. And Manni was that. Ritt simply doesn’t have that wit and charisma. Or let’s rather say, sadly, he doesn’t have it yet.
The riffs on the new album carry the recognizable Grave Digger trademark, and the whole record is conceived in a thoroughly Grave Digger-esque way. But that’s its flaw, because it’s wildly predictable and less appealing precisely because it lacks a charismatic guitarist. On the other hand, “The Clans Will Rise Again” is a more melodic album than “Ballads Of A Hangman”, thanks to some decorative harmonies in the transitional sections. I’ll even venture to call it the most “cheerful” Grave Digger album. The chorus in Coming Home is built on a major key, which is an exception for Grave Digger. Not even the semi-ballad When The Rain Turns To Blood shakes the album out of its easygoing predictability near the end. Comparing the moods captured and the songwriting style to “Tunes Of War” is completely pointless. “The Clans Will Rise Again” is drowning in mediocrity and shows a lack of creative drive and inspiration. Songs that stand out in terms of arrangement quality and expression are rare this time around. Highland Farewell offers one of the more interesting choruses, but otherwise Grave Digger ride the tried-and-true, safe track of their songwriting template. No standouts, then. Even Boltendahl’s trademark growl doesn’t sound as sinister and furious as it did as a matter of course on previous Grave Digger albums
So the question arises. Is this the final loss of Grave Digger’s charm, or just the one and only album in the band’s life that needed more control and restraint to arrive safely in the world and hold its own among its older studio siblings? The band’s loyal fans will gladly slap a label on it: “Not bad, but not special in any way either!” We’ll see what the future holds for Grave Digger and whether Boltendahl and the gang are ready to squeeze something more out of Axel Ritt’s guitar talents.
Lineup
Chris Boltendahl – vocals, backing vocals
Axel Ritt – guitar, backing vocals
H.P. Katzenburg – keyboards
Jens Becker – bass guitar
Stefan Arnold – drums
Production
Chris Boltendahl & Grave Digger
Tracklist
1. Days of Revenge (1:58)
2. Paid in Blood (3:57)
3. Hammer of the Scots (4:01)
4. Highland Farewell (4:07)
5. The Clans Will Rise Again (5:01)
6. Rebels (4:40)
7. Valley of Tears (4:09)
8. Execution (4:45)
9. Whom the Gods Love Die Young (6:19)
10. Spider (3:19)
11. The Piper McLeod (0:49)
12. Coming Home (4:22)
13. When Rain Turns to Blood (6:14)
