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Grave Digger - Exhumation: The Early Years

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    Horace Cordier
    Senior Member

  • Grave Digger - Exhumation: The Early Years



    Released by: Napalm Records
    Released on: October 23rd, 2015.
    Purchase From Amazon

    German band GRAVE DIGGER were never a huge act in terms of popularity - even in the metal crazed mid-eighties. What they were though, was an almost perfect example of the basic Teutonic style of that era. Sort of like a barebones ACCEPT sans that band's neoclassical leanings and occasional lashings of pomp. This was meaty and aggressive stuff with crunchy trad riffs and a rough growling vocalist.

    GRAVE DIGGER did the usual period crash and burn. They delivered three very good and heavy Lps and then fucked it all up by trying to go commercial. They changed the name of the band to the genetic DIGGER and then put out a terrible record that sounded like pop rock with slightly annoyed guitars. Then they broke up and reformed in the early 90's with a return on their formative style.

    So where does "Exhumation" fit into all of this? Since the bankruptcy of their original label Noise Records, GRAVE DIGGER's early catalog has become out of print and hard to find. So they've devised this CD of re-recordings. Much like the recent MAD MAX set I reviewed, this is a pretty solid offering. The band don't stray too far from the original sound and because of the more simplistic nature of the material (as opposed to say MAD MAX's more complex AOR/metal/keyboard hybrid) I'd venture this is as successful as a project of this type can be. Highlights are the gloriously stupid "Headbanging Man" and the driving "We Wanna Rock You". This is fun stuff with idiotic lyrics that you can chalk up to Germans in their late teens clumsily putting their kraut to English dictionaries to use. Everybody is on point with a nice fat organic guitar tone and no distracting modern production techniques to detract from the classic feel. Vocalist Chris Boltendal sounds particularly impressive: his deadly Udoesque (of ACCEPT fame) is as gloriously gnarly as ever. Everything moves fast too - this is the land of the under four minute barnburner. The only slight letdown is "Shoot Her Down" which is TOO basic even by these standards.

    Recommended. This is a very good example of the rerecording genre and old and new Digger fans should dig it, as well as fans of no frills dumbotron Kraut metal.
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