12 songs / 53 minutes
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When I got this CD, my first reaction was a hysterical crisis, because since the major success
of Hammerfall, there were not only a lot of new 'true metal' bands coming, but also the so called
cult bands from the 80ies are trying their comebacks. One of the more successful bands is Grave
Digger, a band I surprisingly missed in the 80ies. Since their 2nd coming they have already recorded
a handful of new CDs, and 'Excalibur' is the last of a trilogy of CDs concerning historical topics,
this time of course the legend of King Artus. But don't think now that this is some kind of
medieval metal, although two musicians from German folk metal band Subway To Sally are participating
with their bagpipes and other old instruments. Mostly it's rather straight metal that is enveloped
in a great sounding production, and Chris Boltendahl's powerful vocals are probably one topic to
discuss about. I admit, he's not really a good vocalist, but I like his voice better than most
castrated sounding true metal singers, and the big choirs (featuring among others Pit Sielck from
Iron Saviour and Hansi Kürsch from Blind Guardian) give you at times a chill running down your
spine. And, something which is rather important to me, there are no metal clichés on this
CD. Hey, and there's even a ballad, something I would never have expected from Grave Digger. At least
it sounds different from the typical metal ballads, thanks to Boltendahl's rough voice. If you're really into old Teutonic metal, there's no way past this album, and thanks to the Almighty Metal God, Grave Digger are still true to their roots, unlike to totally weak last Rage CD. I give a subjective 7-point-rating, but when it comes to old school metal with melody, this album is really exceptional good. |
