There's just something oddly likable and consistent about a Grave Digger album...I mean, throughout their career, you'd be hard pressed to call any of their albums groundbreaking heavy metal classics, but there's always a certain sense of familiarity and enjoyment you get from any GD platter, and that trend continues on their latest Napalm Records release, The Living Dead. The German horde once again deliver a set of crunchy, heavy hitting metal anthems, led as always by the gruff, accent inflected vocals of Chris Boltendahl, who never fails to sound like he's been gargling on broken glass.
"Fear of the Living Dead" kicks things off in fine fashion here, the mountains of riffs courtesy of Axel Ritt are just gargantuan, and the chorus a catchy one on this very clever, Zombie themed tune. "Blade of the Immortal" continues with the riff fest and more of a 'raise your glass to the sky' styled arrangement, and the manic "When Death Passes By" is a must hear for any fan of early European power/speed metal. "Shadow of the Warrior" and "The Power of Metal" are as cliche as it gets, but hey, it's Grave Digger and it's all in fun! The band even channel their inner Saxon on the pounding "Hymn of the Damned", and again revisit the undead themes on the silly closer "Zombie Dance", a danceable jig that needs to be heard to be believed.
As unoriginal and chock full of cliches as The Living Dead is, there are many solid headbanging moments, and overall the album is a lot of fun for what it is. Expertly produced (the guitars sound massive!) and containing a boatload of effective riffs, The Living Dead is another in a long line of very listenable albums from the always dependable Grave Digger.
Track Listing
01 Fear Of The Living Dead 5:31
02 Blade Of The Immortal 4:07
03 When Death Passes By 3:52
04 Shadow Of The Warrior 4:33
05 The Power Of Metal 3:52
06 Hymn Of The Damned 5:30
07 What War Left Behind 3:30
08 Fist In Your Face 3:24
09 Insane Pain 3:05
10 Zombie Dance 3:46
11 Glory Or Grave (Bonus Track) 4:21
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