''The Grave Digger'' is the tenth studio album by German heavy metal band Grave Digger. It the first album to feature former

Rage Rage may refer to: * Rage (emotion), an intense form of anger Games * Rage (collectible card game), a collectible card game * Rage (trick-taking card game), a commercial variant of the card game Oh Hell * ''Rage'' (video game), a 2011 first- ...

guitarist

Manni Schmidt Manfred "Manni" Schmidt (born 27 November 1964) is a German heavy metal guitarist, best known as a former member of Grave Digger and Rage. History Born in Andernach, West Germany, Schmidt begun his career starting his own band Factor 6. Ho ...

, and is often considered the darkest album the band has done, along with 1995's ''

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' is an 1899 novella by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgium, Belgian company in the African interior. Th ...

''. The lyrics are about dark concepts, some are inspired by the works of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

stated in its review of the album, "In short, for a band that's never gotten much respect over the years Grave Digger's influence on the power metal genre is undeniable and, with its unassuming excellence, ''The Grave Digger'' is a perfect example why."

Track listing

All songs are composed and arranged by Boltendahl, Becker and Schmidt; all lyrics by Boltendahl.

Note

The 2006 re-issue by

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast Records is a German record label with subsidiary, subsidiaries located in Germany, the United States and Brazil. It was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Donzdorf. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on ...

includes the 2003 album '' Rheingold''.

Credits

;Band members * Chris Boltendahl - vocals *

- guitars *

Jens Becker Jens Becker (born 24 May 1965) is a German Heavy metal music, heavy metal bass guitarist who currently performs with Grave Digger (band), Grave Digger. History Becker was born in Fürth. His first major band was Running Wild (band), Running ...

- bass * Stefan Arnold - drums * HP Katzenburg - keyboards ;Additional musicians * Olaf Senkbeil - backing Vocals * Hacky Hackmann - backing Vocals ;Production * Britta Kühlmann - recording * Henning Winter - recording * Jens Rosendahl - photography * Markus Mayer - artwork, cover concept, design * Chris Boltendahl - producer, cover concept * Jörg Umbreit - producer, recording, mixing * Manni Schmidt - producer * Vincent Sorg - producer, mixing, mastering

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grave Digger Grave Digger (band) albums 2001 albums Nuclear Blast albums Music based on works by Edgar Allan Poe Power metal albums