ALBUM REVIEW: Fields of Blood – Grave Digger

In a career spanning 40 years, German metal giants GRAVE DIGGER have marked the occasion with the release of their 20th studio record Fields of Blood. Not only does the album release coincide with the band’s anniversary, but the new record is also the final piece of the jigsaw in the Scottish Highlands trilogy, followed on from Tunes of War in 1996 and The Clans Will Rise Again in 2010.

The new record begins with an instrumental track The Clansman’s Journey, which sets the Scottish themes almost straight away with the traditional bagpipes starting proceedings. As the intro continues the build up increases in complexity as the more familiar elements of GRAVE DIGGER enter the fray with the guitar and drums – all of which very quickly kick straight into the next track All for the Kingdom. It isn’t just the inclusion of bagpipes from the intro which add the Scottish theme to the record, as vocalist Chris Boltendahl adds a highlands twang to his singing style during the verses. Aside from that, the rest of the track is very much what you’d expect from the band – crushing riffs at a strong tempo to get you headbanging, and is a fantastic start to the album.

Up next is Lions of the Sea; this particular track starts off with the tempo a touch slower than the first two, with the band performing a vocalise while slowly building up to the first, and it doesn’t long after that for things to kick back into action. There is certainly a classic heavy metal essence throughout this track, and really for those who have listened to GRAVE DIGGER before then it is the same recipe that has kept them in business for the last four decades – energetic, explosive and an epic chorus.

There are two particular tracks that stand out in this record for two different reasons. The first of those is Thousand Tears, which for the most part is a ballad which you probably wouldn’t expect to find on a GRAVE DIGGER record. Again, the bagpipes feature prominently as Chris is accompanied by acoustic guitar, while also being joined by another vocalist who has her own solo moments throughout the track as well – the vocalist in question being Noora Louhimo, the powerful voice behind power metal group BATTLE BEAST. As it gets towards the end of the track, the metal side of the band comes back into play and Noora is able to showcase her talents even more, which make it one of the highlights of the record for sure.

The second track that stands out is the title track itself. At 10 minutes in runtime it is by far the longest song on the album, but it is one that is well worth listening to. The build up is very gradual as the atmosphere intensifies, leading to a true heavy metal anthem. There are changes to the speed and dynamics to keep your interest and gives the band a fantastic opportunity to show they can adapt well and change their sound when they need to.

Fields of Blood has everything you could possibly want from a classic heavy metal album. Fans will be very happy that after such a long wait the Scottish Highlands trilogy concludes with a bang, as well as maintaining that traditional GRAVE DIGGER sound we have come to know and love. For those who haven’t come across the band before, this is well worth picking up and will be an excellent addition to any metal collection.

Rating: 9/10

Fields of Blood is out now via Napalm Records.

Like GRAVE DIGGER on Facebook.