Return of the Reaper is actually, amazingly enough, Grave Digger’s seventeenth(!) album! Since this is my first encounter with them, at least when it comes to reviewing albums, I can start by stating that it certainly won’t be my last. It’s as good as it gets and I can’t believe I managed to miss this band that made its debut back in 1984. Musically, it’s somewhere between Power and Heavy Metal. You could say it’s a bit harder than Hammerfall maybe. There are even some Thrash tendencies from time to time and you shouldn’t think that it’s the usual bright-voiced singer that usually accompanies Power Metal bands. Chris Botltendahl, who has actually been the vocalist since the band started, has a rougher voice that fits like a glove.
That’s not to say that he ever indulges in growling. It’s nice that there are singers in the industry who actually sing in a normal way too. Growling has its place and ordinary “normal” singing simply has its place.Since it is precisely Power/Heavy Metal, there are plenty of really catchy melodies. The thrash elements mean that there are some really grinding parts. It is simply an excellent combination. In fact, on more than one occasion I think of Annihilator, one of my absolute favorite bands, when I listen.
I don’t put much emphasis on the lyrics, but they are undeniably imaginative. It may not be dragons and rainbows, but it is definitely typical of the genre to sing about fantasies that reflect the album’s cover well. Am I expressing myself clearly? But no one will say that it is an album full of monotony. Musically, it stays around the roots, but there is still room for odd tones from time to time. Or maybe they are not really odd, but it is undeniably not distorted guitars and lots of drums all the time. There are also completely acoustic passages. And by the way, if you get the limited edition of the album, you get a whole album of acoustic material, just like that!
Translation of a review I wrote in Swedish a few years ago
