Grave Digger - The Clans Will Rise Again

September 10, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Power metal legends, Grave Digger, return with yet another Scotland-inspired album that loosely follows up the Tunes of War album from 1996. The German legends still have the formula for good heavy metal some thirty years after the band’s inception.

The Clans Will Rise Again may well be the soundtrack to Braveheart with its gratuitous love for Scotland and its people, creating some very heavy metal music with which to offer accolades. “Hammer of the Scots” is a chant-like anthem for the country without all of the false, repetitive bravado that usually goes along with such a tune. The guitar riffs throughout are exactly what make heavy metal the choice of champions with the trudging, often crunch-worthy chords that call out the very infancy of the scene; these power chords never get old and resonate long after bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest made them popular back in the day. For the most part Grave Digger is a band that has yet to really disappoint the fan base and this album would be no exception.

Not exactly considered a conceptual piece, Clans spans the spectrum of traditional heavy metal within the hour-long piece that maintains a heavy melodic presence throughout and showcases just why Grave Digger has now spanned three decades. “The Clans Will Rise Again” is a slower, weighty-aired gallop through instrumental variations that create fine visuals within. With its grand design of German power metal firmly in grasp, Grave Digger manages to beat the clock of time and remain relevant in the modern day; the songs on here vary decently to decipher them from each other. “Valley of Tears” houses a cool chorus that jars the inner warrior in all ye metal heads because it’s just a fun track that plays upon your traditional metal fix should you need one now and again. The guitar solo in there is hardly epic, but it is a sweet fit to the clamoring feel of the track.

What you get here in The Clans Will Rise Again is some seriously good metal that does little to stir your inner mosher, but will cause you to visualize some Scottish Greenfield where a series of battles are taking place for freedom and for pride. “Whom the Gods Love Die Young” is one of my favorites on here due in part to its amazingly stylish movement that isn’t quite power ballad, but is filled with an emotional thickness not easily diluted or lab-created. The acoustic part at the end is simply beautiful and provides the perfect slow-down following such a powerful track. When “Spider” kicks in, the feeling is just that: a boot to the stomach as the fevered ride begins again. You honestly do take a ride with Digger as they provide the soundtrack to the glory of Scotland. “Coming Home” also stirs your insides as the chorus kicks over with the announcement that the warriors are returning home at last. It’s just a great album all over. 

You would do well to take this journey with the band at some point because Clans is an honest sojourn through the underground of metal history as much as it taps the historical fantasies we all might unknowingly harbor.      

Release Date: October 1, 2010
Label: Napalm Records  

TRACK LISTING

1.  Days of Revenge
2.  Paid in Blood
3.  Hammer of the Scots
4.  Highland Farewell
5.  The Clans Will Rise Again
6.  Rebels
7.  Valley Of Tears
8.  Execution
9.  Whom the Gods Love Die Young
10.  Spider
11.  The Piper Mcleod
12.  Coming Home
13.  When Rain Turns to Blood

Total playing time:  53:34

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