Can you (grave) dig it?! Teutonic metal legends Grave Digger are celebrating their 45th anniversary and you’re all invited! The party lasts all year, and has aptly kicked off with the release of their latest studio album, Bone Collector. After years of high concepts and power metal pretensions, the band has opted to strip things down, going for the jugular with a bevy of headbanging riffs and shout-along choruses, just like in ’84. We sat down with founding frontman Chris Boltendahl to discuss this return to the roots, the challenges of touring America, and his own personal heavy metal heroes.
Greetings Chris and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?
Chris Boltendahl: I’m really fine! I’m recovering from a couple of shows before we start next Thursday again here in Germany with another couple of shows. I’m a very happy guy. The first three shows were all sold out. I can’t be happier. Everything’s working well.
That’s what we like to hear. Of course, those shows aren’t the only reason to celebrate. Grave Digger have just released their 22nd studio album, Bone Collector. How soon after the release of Symbol of Eternity did ideas start coming together for this one?
CB: It took some time. We started to write in October of ’23. It took us until last summer, writing songs, lyrics, doing the recordings, and also mixing and mastering.
Whereas Symbol of Eternity was a sequel to 1998’s Knights of the Cross and a continuation of the band’s power metal sound, Bone Collector comes off as a raw, high speed throwback to the band’s earliest days. What led to this musical return to the roots of Grave Digger?
CB: After Symbol of Eternity, it felt so kind of boring to do another concept CD because I’ve made so many in my career now. I wanted to go back because it’s 45 years. Then, you have to sing about your whole career with Grave Digger. I started to think, “What can be the future for the band for the next 10 years? It can’t be the way to refresh old stuff from the ’90s, doing concept albums and another sequel and another sequel.” You know what I mean, in the end.
Then, I thought, “Let’s go back to the signature sound of the band: A four piece heavy metal band. The classic lineup of guitar, bass, vocals, and drums.” That was the main target I had when I sat together with the other guys. We said, “Let’s do a more hard, more rough, more pure metal record again and not all this bling-bling stuff. Big chorus background vocal arrangements and symphonic keyboards and all this stuff.” I think what you’re listening to on Bone Collector is Grave Digger ’25, and I think that will be Grave Digger for the next couple of years too.
This is Grave Digger’s first full length with Tobias Kerstin, formerly of Orden Ogan, on guitar. What’s it like having him in the fold and how has he impacted the band?
CB: Tobias is an old school guy. He’s 45 years old, but has a knowledge about classic German heavy metal. It’s really awesome! For example, last year when we played 70,000 Tons of Metal, when you’re at dinner or breakfast, there is always the sound of heavy metal music in the restaurant. Every time there was a band we didn’t know, we’d ask him, “Hey, Tobias! You know what band this is?” “Yeah, yeah! It’s this band from this year who put out this record.” He’s like a living encyclopedia of heavy metal and it’s really awesome. He’s basic and he fits so well to the concept we have for the band now for the future. His guitar tone and solos are really a lot.
His riffs and leads really leaped out to me on this album. Like you said, they have that classic ’80s metal sound. It’s in your face and flashy, but not too flashy. He really fits the mold.
CB: Yeah! I think that improved the band more or less. Axel Ritt was a good guitar player, but he came from a totally different scene. He came from the hard rock scene. He never listened so much to heavy metal like Tobias did. When he joined the band, the sound changed a bit, but now with Tobias, we have some possibility to go back to the signature sound of the band. He knows what I mean when I say, “Play an ’80s riff.” or “Let’s do it this way.” or “Let’s put the solo in the song this way.” Also, (bassist) Jens Becker is coming up with good ideas for this album. Everybody was so motivated. I think you can listen to the energy and the power of the record and you can imagine how involved everybody was in this record.
Interestingly enough, the press releases pointed out this is the first Grave Digger album recorded without a single keyboard passage. Was this a conscious decision on the band’s behalf, or just how the songwriting turned out?
CB: A good heavy metal record doesn’t need any keyboards, I think *laughs*. Anyway, we’ve had keyboards and synths since the beginning. When we finished the album, we thought, “Oh, there’s no space for any keyboards! We don’t need any keyboards.” That was the reason we decided to skip that. I think if you have a good heavy metal riff and a good in your face chorus, you don’t need any keyboards.
Speaking of songwriting, how did the band go about writing the songs on Bone Collector? Was it largely yourself, or rather a collaborative process?
CB: 85% was written by Tobias and me. As you know, I am also a heavy metal fan, like you. Sometimes I’m in the studio doing some music, but in the end, I’m a heavy metal fan. For me, in the past, a good heavy metal song always starts with a killer riff. When Tobias and I started, I said, “Tobias, we need…it’s equal what we do. At the start, we need a killer guitar riff, the main riff of the whole song where we can put on the chorus or the bridge or the verse.” The main thing is when you start a song, it must catch your ears in the first second. That is the reason why we start always with a guitar riff and then working on all the other stuff. A guitar riff is the main part of the song.
As you mentioned, this year marks the 45th anniversary of Grave Digger’s formation. If we could, let’s go back in time to 1980. What bands were you listening to back then and what events led to the formation of Grave Digger?
CB: I listened to all the ’80s and ’70s bands: Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, all the bands I was growing up with. Around then, I saw Motörhead also. I attended a lot of shows in the beginning, when I was a young guy. I always was in the first row, screaming my ass off. A really, really funny story: Two years ago, we played Wacken Open Air together with Judas Priest. I met Rob Halford backstage. He saw me and he said, “Hey, you’re Chris! The singer of Grave Digger!” I thought, “Oh! He notices me! That’s great!” Then, I told him my story.
I said, “Hey Rob! At the end of the ’70s and beginning of the ’80s, I always was at the Judas Priest shows here in Germany. I always was in the first row. I was the guy who put my hands on your shoes and was screaming, “Hey Rob! Glenn, K.K., give me a pick!” I was one those fans you’ve hated all your fucking life.” *laughs* He was screaming his ass off, really laughing, but that’s the way it is! The first lineup of Van Halen did five shows in Germany and I always was in front of Michael Anthony. Always between the songs, I was screaming, “Hey Michael! Give me a pick! Give me a pick!” There was one show I went home with 25 picks or something like that *laughs*. I’m a fan!
So it was the fandom that poured out into the music. Subsequently, Grave Digger would carve their own heavy metal legacy, influencing a slew of bands along they way, and the cycle continues.
CB: Yeah, I met so many heroes of mine. I met Dio. I met Rob Halford, Biff (Byford), Lemmy. In 1999, I was in a show with Deep Purple at the Bang Your Head!!! Open Air in Germany. Then, I met Jon Lord. I was sitting the whole show beside Jon Lord onstage. That was…you will never forget that. When the coffin is closed one day, I will take all these memories with me. I’m a happy guy. I’ve had so many good moments in my life. If I die tomorrow, I don’t have to complain.
This year also happens to mark the 40th anniversary of Helloween’s Walls of Jericho, on which you provide additional vocals on the song “Reptile”. What are your memories of that session and could you talk a bit about Grave Digger and Helloween’s relationship?
CB: In the beginning, in the ’80s, it was a really great relationship because we did also some touring together. It was also really fun because we were always drunk, Kai (Hansen) and Michael (Weikath) and all the other guys. Also Marcus (Grosskopf), he is really a funny guy. But after (Michael) Kiske joined the band, then we went separate ways. Kiske was such an introverted guy. He was never really interested in a band like Grave Digger. I don’t know when I’ve seen the guys since. I think Michael and Marcus attended the 20th anniversary of the band at the birthday party in Germany years ago. They played some songs with us together, but after that, our ways were separated. I don’t know when I saw the guys the last time. It is a long time ago.
You mentioned that I’ve currently got you in between some dates you’re playing. How on earth does Grave Digger sandwich 45 years of history into one setlist? Is it a struggle for you to put together a setlist that pleases all the fans and yourself?
CB: It is not possible *laughs*. In the end, we do our own favorites. A lot of people told us after the first three shows, “You played such an old school setlist!” OK, we skipped the years of Axel Ritt. I don’t know why that happened. We played a lot of songs before from this era, but now we are playing more or less songs from the beginning and the ’90s, as well as three new songs. It appears its a little bit more old school set, but in the end, it must catch the people and make a party. That is the most important thing. On the other side, as a musician, you must have fun onstage. I also think there are Grave Digger songs which will not fit very well to a live show, but we always choose songs that we love and we think that the people will love.
It’s been 9 years since Grave Digger last played on American soil. There have been some stirrings of a return trip in the near future. but no confirmation. Is there any chance us American headbangers will be seeing Grave Digger anytime soon?
CB: The funny thing is that somebody booked a complete tour for Grave Digger and Satan for next March and April in the US. We should’ve played the Hell’s Heroes festival and 2 Minutes to Tulsa, and in between more shows, but nobody talked. They released the dates, more or less, and then we asked for the fee and nobody came up with it, only for the two festivals. Then, we said, “How should we finance all this stuff?” “You can go in a van!” Then, I asked, “Who pays for the visa? Who pays for the van? Who pays for the backline? Who’s driving the fan? Who’s the crew?” “You can it by yourself!”
I saw myself in a van with my other three guys, driving 800 miles between the shows from day to day and we said, “OK, that makes no sense. We would definitely die on that tour.” *laughs* That was the reason why we cancelled also the two festivals. Nobody asked before! There was a promoter in the States who was very hard at work on that, but he never confirmed any fees. Then, he confirmed us for the festivals. When I opened my Facebook, I thought, “Oh! Grave Digger’s playing Hell’s Heroes! What the fuck is that?” Then, I called my German booker and said, “Hey, you have to cancel that.”
You need so much time now with working visas and everything. It’s so fucking expensive. You have to pay more than $10,000 for four people! I know that it’s hard to play for US musicians in Germany. They have this foreign tax, but you don’t have to pay any working visas in Germany. When we come to the US, we have to pay a lot of money upfront. If something happened, I’m bankrupt *laughs*.
Those are things every euro band needs to take into consideration. Heck, there’s a reason it took until last year for Sodom to finally tour here after 40 years. They did about half a dozen dates, which all sold out. I was at the Chicago date, but I digress. They’re one of the most legendary bands in metal history, and it took them 40 years to make it here properly for reasons like that. It sucks for us because we’d go to all the shows!
CB: Yeah! You know, with Blind Guardian, it was fantastic because we had people work it out because they are experienced with US tours. We, as a support, had a really comfortable tour there, but to do it on our own and see myself as a fan driver *laughs*?
Understood! In closing, what does the rest of 2025 have in store for Grave Digger? I imagine a lot of van driving, just not by yourself?
CB: *laughs* Yeah, here in Germany, but it’s only fucking 500 kilometers in a very comfortable car on very comfortable roads, roads which I know. We’re making a lot of shows here. We play in Italy. We play in Spain. We play in Greece. At the end of the year, we are playing South America. Let’s see! Perhaps we could work out two or three shows in the US for then? As long as…*laughs* I don’t know what’s changed with Trump now! Nobody knows what he has in his mind. He has a lot of things in his mind, which are not very good for us, but we will see.
The new Grave Digger album, Bone Collector, is out now on RPM ROAR. For more information on Grave Digger, visit www.grave-digger.de.
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