{"id":95177,"date":"2022-08-26T00:00:13","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T23:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=95177"},"modified":"2022-08-31T14:29:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T13:29:13","slug":"album-review-grave-digger-symbol-of-eternity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-grave-digger-symbol-of-eternity\/","title":{"rendered":"GRAVE DIGGER – Symbol Of Eternity (2022) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

GRAVE DIGGER
Symbol Of Eternity<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nROAR! Rock Of Angels (2022)<\/span>
Rating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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If ever there was a band that could be used as an example of being a symbol of eternity then it has to be German act Grave Digger. It may have been two years since their last album (Fields Of Blood<\/em>), but such is the prolific nature of this beast it never feels like they\u2019ve ever been away. Even though I know what\u2019s coming with every release I attempt to stay loyal to Grave Digger because of my love for those 80s album releases even though as they\u2019ve marched on through the decades my love for them has gradually deteriorated.<\/p>\n

Symbol Of Eternity<\/em> is the work of a band that has been in the business for over 40 years and I have to admire them for their focus and determination, but I was quite surprised when the scorching \u2018Battle Cry\u2019 came fizzing out of the blocks, more so due to its steely guitar attack, although less shocked was I by the Teutonic chorus. However, it remains a nice way for Grave Digger to return and that metallic fury is strong throughout this record.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hell Is My Purgatory\u2019 feels edgy, well-oiled and supercharged, and even though the chorus again resorts to that slightly cringe-worthy aesthetic of anthemic booming I\u2019m falling for the charms of Grave Digger\u2019s 21st album. However, like, say, fellow countrymen U.D.O. and even thrash stalwarts Destruction<\/a> and Sodom, the topics do become a tad generic, and whilst this time round Chris Boltendahl and company take on the Crusades, it\u2019s still very much an unflinching Grave Digger energy whereby some tracks (\u2018Nights Of Jerusalem\u2019 and \u2018Holy Warfare\u2019) start to fray the attention span. And yet for all the predictable strains there\u2019s still a hammering execution entwined with subtle nuances, such as on the opening rally of \u2018King Of The Kings\u2019 and the riff heavy steel of the title track.<\/p>\n

As with the likes of U.D.O. etc., I do start to have issues with the grisly vocal traits of Boltendahl who, bless him, marches on with trusty shield, battle-scarred, a tad weary, but a true rock warrior. But the band won\u2019t want me to pity them though as they remain steadfast in their metal quest, and hearing the grandiose Gothic chimes of \u2018The Last Crusade\u2019 and the orgasmic axe work on \u2018Sky Of Swords\u2019 always brings a wry smile. So hats off to guitarist Axel Ritt for supplying more bludgeoning alongside Jens Becker\u2019s hefty bass and Marcus Kniep\u2019s percussion which hits like a mallet to the forehead.<\/p>\n

After much deliberation I\u2019ve come to the conclusion that Grave Digger only really grates on me when the choruses emerge, and outside of those soaring yet cheese-ridden bellows I cannot help but become absorbed by their propensity for subjects which speak of armour-clad knights and pillaging.<\/p>\n

I see Grave Digger as true pillars of the German metal scene and I admire anyone who can remain unwavering in their worship for such battle-worn tales, which even through their repetitive streaks, act as immortal, beer-swilling psalms for generations young and old.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GRAVE DIGGERSymbol Of Eternity ROAR! Rock Of Angels (2022)Rating: 7\/10 If ever there was a band that could be used as an example of being a symbol of eternity then it has to be German act Grave Digger. It may have been two years since their last album (Fields Of Blood), but such is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,184],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-grave-digger"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95178,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95177\/revisions\/95178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}