Grave Digger – Clash Of The Gods

Legendary German heavy power metallers Grave Digger return after two years with their sixteenth studio album in what I would call a «Grave Digger Classic». Double bass, heavy riffing, catchy choruses with the characteristic voice of Chris Boltendahl creating an exploding mix heavy as hell.

This album’s theme is about Ancient Greek Gods and mythology. “Clash Of The Gods” consists of eleven songs, it was produced by Chris Boltendahl, Axel Ritt and Jorg Umbreit and reminds of other heavy metal giants as Judas Priest, Accept and Rage. It is the second album that Axel Ritt participates and it was released by Napalm Records.

Charon (Fährmann des Todes): The first track of the album is an atmospheric folk intro and its lyrics are written in German. Guest lead vocals by Micha Rhein (In Extremo) who interpritates Charon, the ferryman of the dead and speaks of how he carries the dead to Hades, paying for sins and suffering of the dead.

God Of Terror: This song starts off with a heavy riff and power double bass drumming. The chorus is very strong and it is proper for crowd singing. Highlight of the song is the outstanding guitar/ keyboard harmony after keyboard and guitar solo.

Hell Dog: It talks about Cerberus, the dog at the gates of Hades. Classic heavy/ power metal with a beautiful guitar solo and a main riff that sticks in your head when you hear it. The chorus has that epic feel that you can find in older Grave Digger songs.

Medusa: The song obviously refers to the gorgon called Medusa. It has a darker sound with an emotion of fear as Chris Boltendahl’s performance in combination with the music and sound of snake/ wind and evil laughs makes you shiver. The main riff is fantastic and the vocals at 4:00 bond perfectly with the atmosphere of the song. The following solo is one of the best solos of the album.

Clash Of The Gods: In this song tempo slows down and starts with a drum groove and an Ancient Greek Music theme in Phrygian scale followed by the main rhythm and an appropriate solo that this kind of song demands. Awesome track to relax from the intense head banging of the previous songs.

Death Angel And The Grave Digger: The speed is up once again with another heavy song. Great performance by the band, with Jens Becker digging the bass, Stefan Arnold’s drum beat and Axel Ritt riffs match ideal with Chris Boltendahl’s voice. Short guitar solo and then a guitar/ voice harmony.

Walls Of Sorrow: Walls Of Sorrow is probably the fastest song of the album with an awesome opening riff and drum beat when the vocals come in for the first verse. The chorus is epic with a dose of melancholy and back to the second verse and chorus. Amazing solo and guitar harmony.

Call Of The Sirens: The song talks about the Sirens that Odysseus found in his way home. The tempo is slow again, the vocals are remarkable and the opening riff and chorus reminds me of a slower version of « The Dark Of The Sun». An emotional guitar solo by Axel Ritt and a wonderful keyboard solo by HP Katzenburg.

Warriors Revenge: A ripping riff followed by a fantastic drum beat, guitar squeals, with a chorus in the vain of Walls Of Sorrow and a ripping solo create the structure of another classic heavy metal song that we are used from a band like Grave Digger.

…With The Wind: This is an instrumental, with a mix of space kind of sound, wind blowing and a keyboard sound that creates a very melancholic and dark track to open up the last song of the album.

Home At Last: The last song of the album is about Odysseus return to his home after a long and painful journey. Clever drumming, same with the guitar riffing and a chorus that makes you sing along the lyrics since it has a sense of euphoria. Awesome job on the guitar solo once again. A great way to close an great album.