Before there was European power metal, there was Grave Digger. The band was formed way back in 1980 by founding singer/bassist Christ Boltendahl, back in the days when Germany’s key metal exports were Scorpions and Accept. Subsequently, their early output displayed influences from both bands, as well as a healthy dose of speed courtesy of the NWOBHM. After 3 albums in this vein, the band attempted to go a more polished route under the moniker Digger, before then knocking around for a few years as Hawaii (not to be confused with the Marty Friedman outfit of the same name).
By the early 90s, it seemed that Grave Digger was nothing more than a relic of Teutonic metal past. Little did headbangers know that the saga was just beginning. Over the course of the following decade and into the 2000s, Boltendahl reinvented Grave Digger as a cutting edge power metal outfit, co-opting elements of traditional metal, speed metal, and even Scottish folk music to regale tales of battle, bloodshed, and mythology. Outside of Blind Guardian and Running Wild (if their post-satanic output is your thing), virtually no other European power metal act besides Grave Digger achieved such impact and influence during the turn of the century.
Which is why knowing Grave Digger’s abilities, their latest album, Symbol of Eternity, comes off as a tad underwhelming when compared to past releases. By no means is it “bad” or even “mediocre” for that matter. It’s just essentially what I expect from Grave Digger at this point and nothing more. Intended to be a sequel to 1998’s Knights of the Cross, Symbol of Eternity follows largely in its predecessor’s mold, specializing in bombastic power metal with aggressive riffing, choir vocals, and lyrics chronicling the crusades. Look no further than cuts like the thrash influenced “Battle Cry”, over the top “Nights of Jerusalem”, and the doom ridden “The Last Crusade”: Textbook euro power metal for the Wacken crop.
Ironically, for a band synonymous with power metal, Grave Digger’s strongest moments on Symbol of Eternity is when they resort to old school traditionalism. Take the straightforward Teutonic steel of my choice cut, “Hell is My Purgatory”. The ironclad riffing, gripping melodies, and dominating chorus screams “80s metal”. The same can be said for “Heart of a Warrior”, which boasts a twin axe attack akin to Priest and Accept. Sure Grave Digger has “grown” from the simplicity of those 80s albums, but sometimes meat and potatoes metal is all one needs. And it doesn’t get more meat and potatoes than the closing bonus track, “Hellas Hellas”. Although apparently a cover of a Greek protest song, “Hellas Hellas” sounds like a lost Purple rager, which is always acceptable in my book.
I don’t see myself returning to Symbol of Eternity the way I return to Tunes of War (1996)…or Excalibur (1999)…or my all time favorite, Heavy Metal Breakdown (1984) (Rule of thumb: The first album is always the most kvlt.) That said, it’s another respectable entry in the Grave Digger entry. Whether you “dig it” or not, you can’t deny the longevity of this band, and more specifically, Boltendahl. To him, I tip my figurative hat and raise my glass of the finest German ale. As they say in Deutschland, “Prost!”
6 out of 10
Label: Rock of Angels Records
Genre: Power Metal
For fans of: Running Wild, Accept, Rage