Grave Digger--Tunes of War

Grave Digger--Tunes of War (1996/Gun) Rating--8.5

Raw German power metal, and damn good. A bit like unfiltered Rage, with the occasional brashness of Manowar and speed of Running Wild. The chunkiness of old school Accept is also apparent, as the rough and gruff vocals balance between that band and R.Wild.
This particular release unfolds around a Scottish concept, and absolutely steamrolls through the splendid second half of the selections.
"The Dark of the Sun" features some rapid and solid riffing, and the epic-like marathon begins in earnest with track number six, "The Battle of Flodden." It is fast with an energetic chorus, and sets the perfect tone.
Both "Killing Time" and "The Truth" have steady drives, with the latter being power-chord chunky. "Culloden Muir" is fast and nonstop, and the chainsaw rhythm of "Rebellion" mixes majestically with the power/melodic solo. "The Ballad of Mary" is a lighter and mostly acoustic piece, and very moving and poignant when mixed in with the other tracks.
Can't wait to get more from these guys, as they are yet another (see the above "Rage" and "Running Wild"...) long-standing and career-solid Euro power metal act.
TRACK LIST: The Brave (Intro)/Scotland United/The Dark of the Sun/William Wallace (Braveheart)/The Bruce/The Battle of Flodden/The Ballad of Mary (Queen of Scots)/The Truth/Cry For Freedom (James the VI)/Killing Time/Rebellion (The Clans are Marching)/Culloden Muir/The Fall of the Brave (Outro)

Back to Discography