Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Grave Digger
Label: Nuclear Blast
Release: 2005
Duration: 59:17
Rating: 3/5
Brutal! With “The Last Supper,” Grave Digger head back to 2001, to the spirit of their album “The Grave Digger.” “Rheingold” (2003) was the record with the most epic pomp in the history of the band, those raw Teutonic lumberjacks. This time “Uncle Reaper” keeps the production firmly in focus, and his enraged roar is once again a pure win. On “Rheingold,” precisely because of the “too pretty” (read: overly melodic) and way-too-loud production of the multi-part vocal harmonies in the choruses, the style of Bolthendal’s singing, one of the main trademarks of the “gravediggers” from Bochum, got unfortunately lost.
The album title says it all, so this time we won’t go on much of an adventure through the world of biblical teachings and tales. The concept takes us through Christ’s last supper with his faithful followers, through the vision of his own tragedy, meaning the betrayal, the crucifixion and, lo and behold! In the end the guy even gets to take flight, as his heavenly father takes him up to heaven (the Ascension). In the hands of Grave Digger, this concept is once again executed flawlessly. Now let me turn things upside down. Can you picture Christ speaking with the voice of Chris Bolthendal? With that thought, the concept comes off downright grotesque. At the same time, though, it somehow radiates exactly what gets glossed over in the sermons of self-appointed messengers of God. On “The Last Supper,” Jesus Christ is furiously angry and embittered, full of trauma and burning problems, as he lives through the last moments of earthly paradise, unhappily hurled without mercy into the abyss of his own fate. Well, don’t worry! This time too he finds salvation, when a ray of light shines down on him.
The production is venomously alive, with little to no polish. The sound is voluminous. A Teutonic beat, a double-kick barrage cranked to the max (especially played without any compromise in the track Black Widows), blows of extreme decibels, backed throughout by a thick bass line. On top of that comes frenzied, lively guitar riffing. The riffs are simple but seriously adrenaline-fueled and fantastically polished. They flow tastefully one into the next through the changes between individual passages. The record has no shortage of guitar embellishments and flourishes with triplet harmonies, plus heartfelt, seriously witty solos, so the dynamics of the record stay at an outstanding level throughout. The album carries just the right amount of variety that the classic heavy metal approach can offer. So: hellish bashers, mid-tempo songs, the half-ballad Crucified, the ballad Always And Eternally. Grave Digger always pick concepts with a tragic ending, because that’s where they’re strongest. The icy “feel” that Bolthendal’s growling brings to the band’s expression is perfect for weaving a dramatic atmosphere. Crucified has a phenomenal chorus, built on a simple, classically conceived line, but with Chris’s vocals it comes off as a truly one-of-a-kind thing. And after Crucified they tighten the reins with Divided Cross and rage in a new mood. An album of extremely thrilling ambience and atmosphere, the kind only Grave Digger can conjure! Even the piano arrangements are cloaked in the heavy black of mourning and carry no solemnity, which was typical of the arrangements on “Rheingold.”
“The Last Supper” is a classic Grave Digger record and at the same time a new story, because Grave Digger are masters of bringing to life every concept they pick. The album is tailor-made for the band’s fans and, frankly, for all lovers of classically built metal tunes. The new Grave Digger are once again more Grave Digger compared to “Rheingold,” which, thanks to a larger dose of orchestral passages, slightly neglected the unique “Digger-ish” fury. So Grave Digger remain the angriest band in “old school eighties” German metal.
Lineup
Chris Bolthendal – vocals
Manni Schmidt – guitar
Jens Becker – bass guitar
Stefan Arnold – drums
H.P. Katzenburg – keyboards
Track list
1. Passion
2. Last Supper
3. Desert Rose
4. Grave In The No Man’s Land
5. Hell To Pay
6. Soul Savior
7. Crucified
8. Divided Cross
9. Night Before
10. Black Widows
11. Hundred Days
12. Always And Eternally
BONUS TRACKS ON SPECIAL EDITION:
13. Sleepless
14. Jeepers Creepers
