ALBUM REVIEW: Bone Collector – Grave Digger
Despite being a beloved institution in their native Germany, GRAVE DIGGER have never gained much traction in the UK. They rarely venture over to our shores and their last few albums barely even registered in the press, so it may be a surprise to discover how successful they are. They are 45 years into a glittering career, and regularly play major venues to thousands of fans. They’re kicking off 2025 with their 22nd(!) full-length record and while there’s not much chance that Bone Collector will change their fortunes this side of the channel, it’s unlikely to upset their fanbase either.
It’s also refreshing to say that GRAVE DIGGER sound like they might have got their mojo back. Their last couple of releases were decent but unspectacular, and it was hard to shake the feeling that they were treading water. On Bone Collector though, there’s a noticeable uptick in the enthusiasm. The riffs are sharper, the choruses are bigger, and there’s a greater sense of urgency underpinning their barrel-chested power metal. This is the first record with new guitarist Tobias Kersting, and his arrival seems to have given GRAVE DIGGER a renewed sense of purpose.
That being said, it’s not an essential GRAVE DIGGER album and there a few alternatives from their extensive back catalogue we’d recommend newbies check out first. They’re still guilty of writing the odd meat-and-potatoes metal track and some of this is forgettable, but they can craft some absolute bangers when they want to. The thrashy Made Of Madness sounds like it was written by musicians with far fewer miles on the clock, while The Rich, The Poor, The Dying is an instant earworm with terrific guitar work and an anthemic chorus.
The title track was an excellent choice for opener too, as it kicks things off with all the macho thunder of an outlaw bike gang picking a fight with the mafia. It’s an old school throwback, with gravel-voiced singer Chris Boltendahl coming across like the ghost of Lemmy Kilminster and an aggressive vibe that seems destined to ignite mosh pits from Hamburg to Nickelsdorf and back again. There’s nothing here that hasn’t already been explored on Tunes Of War (1996), The Grave Digger (2001), The Clans Will Rise Again (2010) or a dozen other albums, but they do sound like they’re enjoying themselves and it’s easy to get caught up in it.
It’s also worth mentioning that despite being linked to the genre, GRAVE DIGGER don’t have the exaggerated pomp and melodrama you’d normally associate with power metal. There’s a grittier edge to them and this is less “dragons and loincloths,” more “tattooed fingers clenched round a motorcycle throttle.” This has the noticeable benefit of making Bone Collector more accessible to genre outsiders, but it does rob the more grandiose tracks of the atmosphere they need. The closing Whispers Of The Damned for instance isn’t anywhere near as pompous as the average power metal epic, but it also feels less like a rousing finale and more like a track that just doesn’t know when to end.
For the most part though, this album is a satisfying and enjoyable listen and if nothing else, the veteran Germans can write a killer song or six. Bone Collector is fun but predictable, and like their fellow countrymen in RAGE, a late-career acceptance by the wider UK metal scene now seems out of reach. The enormous crowds who attend their mainland Europe shows though are unlikely to care. They’ll be too busy headbanging to The Devil’s Serenade.
Rating: 7/10
Bone Collector is set for release on January 17 2025 via ROAR RPM.
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