GRAVE DIGGER

Ballads of a Hangman

Napalm
rating icon 7.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. The Gallows Pole
02. Ballad of a Hangman
03. Hell of Disillusion
04. Sorrow of the Dead
05. Grave of the Addicted
06. Lonely the Innocent Dies
07. Into the War
08. The Shadow of Your Soul
09. Funeral for a Fallen Angel
10. Stormrider
11. Pray


The Germans just have a knack for borrowing the best elements of the 80's godfathers and turning those into quality heavy metal songwriting that is familiar in the most satisfying of ways. Then again, it would not be entirely accurate to hang GRAVE DIGGER's knack for it on borrowed attributes from the old school, considering that they started in the old school in the early '80s. Much like countrymen SINNER, GRAVE DIGGER has never gotten much attention stateside (of course, bands like RUNNING WILD never really did either),yet most who call themselves fans of traditional heavy metal (or cheese-less power metal, if you must) on these shores would certainly approve of a rock solid effort like "Ballads of a Hangman".

Another example of familiarity not breeding contempt, the style heard in the riffs and solos of Manni Schmidt and Thilo Hermann are cut from the same cloth as classic JUDAS PRIEST (or vintage PRIMAL FEAR for that matter) and you'll find nary an example of it that is tired or worn. "Hell of Disillusion", "Sorrow of the Dead". "Stormrider", and "The Shadow of Your Soul" are all cases in point. In fact, it is a trait heard across the board in one form or another.

A handful of songs do get extra arrangement boosts though, whether the dark 'n creepy "Lonely The Innocence Dies" (a duet with BENEDICTUM's Veronica Freeman, her powerful voice smartly contrasting with Chris Boltendahl's gritty style),the melodic flair of the riffing on "Pray" or the twin guitar harmonies on "Grave of the Addicted". Last, but not least, the speedy "Ballad of a Hangman" is a heavy metal anthem extraordinaire with its power-drive cadence and a chorus that will have audiences singing along. It is destined to be a GRAVE DIGGER classic.

Keeping the album to 41 minutes was a good move. The momentum never wanes, even when things slow down on "Lonely the Innocence Dies". If your expectations are for nothing more than hearty power metal with an edge, then you will not be disappointed in "Ballads of a Hangman".

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).