I had the honor already to listen to the promo version of this disc, and what can I say, I'm torn. On the one hand GRAVE DIGGER can look back on a variety of top-class songs or albums and have a loyal fan base that can sing along even the most stupid text passage by heart, on the other hand provide its Back-team frontman Chris Boltendahl and in the past years no longer necessarily compelling material.
Of course, one has to take into account and they know their stuff the long and successful career of boys, probably does not need to be specifically mentioned, yet I lack on the new record that certain something.
Clear, "Ballads Of A Hangman" is in any case something that drives a double bass the eardrum from the ear canals and Boltendahl still towers over the doubt catchy melodies. Only the new, which lacks freshness.
The mystical mood was indeed well captured again and production technology can be noted no deficiencies, rock the Solis, sitting the riffs and the lyrics are not as bad as it is already used by some genre-colleagues and anyway, these are not to really excellent material.
The title track, the hard "Grave Of The Addicted" or the fast "Funeral For A Fallen Angel" are indeed Metal-breaker before the Lord, but the entire disk can not convince easily. Title, like "Hell Of Disillusion" or "Into The War" use simply any known metal cliché and bathe in it formally. Too bad, because you realize that GRAVE DIGGER have still a lot on the plate, but on a thoroughly successful disc enough is no longer good.
Otherwise, the material really can like, nothing special, but still good. The cover artwork is again succeeded and the institution will probably continue to be successful, go on tour and restoring a new album!
Knappe four stars for a qualitatively good indeed, but not mandatory Heavy Metal album!
