GRAVE DIGGER

 HEAVY METAL BREAKDOWN          1984          (BMG)
- Standouts: 'Headbanging Man', 'Heavy Metal Breakdown', 'Back from the War', 'Yesterday', 'Legion of the Lost', 'Tyrant', 'Heart Attack'
I'm a bit of a newcomer to Grave Digger, which is baffling because I'm sure if I'd heard pretty much any of their albums way back when I was a teenager, I'd have been an instant fan of them. It's not like they're unknown or forgotten either - these German metallers have been going at it since 1980, with their debut Heavy Metal Breakdown hitting the scene in '84. But yeah, I wasn't even aware of them until I saw them at Bloodstock festival in 2011 - and despite the fact I liked their set, I still didn't go anywhere near Grave Digger again until I bought 3 of their albums from the same eBay seller in 2024 (1996's Tunes of War, 2009's Ballads of a Hangman and 2010's The Clans Will Rise Again)! And even then, I only bought those albums because they came up as a recommended purchase based on my history! Anyway, I'm glad I made those purchases because I've been hooked on Grave Digger since. It took me until my 30s to actually own any of their albums, but whatever!! I guess some bands - even relatively well-known ones - can slip anyone by for years.

I'll say that in general this band do have a specific kind of sound that they've stuck to for many years. But I don't think they moulded that particular sound until the '90s (more about that with later albums in this post of course!), so Heavy Metal Breakdown isn't necessarily the most typically Grave Digger-sounding record if that makes any sense. Don't expect a specific conceptual historical theme throughout the lyrics, and don't expect a strong power metal influence either. Many bands hadn't found their niche with their debut - just look at Judas Priest as a prime example of this. But hey, that doesn't mean you should skimp on HMB! If you look traditional heavy metal and '80s speed metal, you're mostly likely gonna really dig this. I do! Aye, musically this CD is very much an old-school trad/speed metal affair, meaning it's automatically right up my street even if I think this band got better in the '90s. The songs probably weren't breaking new ground within the world of heavy metal in 1984 what with thrash metal taking off at practically this exact point in history, but that doesn't mean it can't still be great fun - which it is.

I feel like I need to talk about vocalist Chris Boltendahl first however. Someone at some point on my favourite YouTube channel Sea of Tranquility described his voice as a cross between Udo Dirkschneider of Accept and Lemmy of Motorhead but with his own added flair. I personally think that's an excellent description - Chris really does have a weirdly unique voice in that he has that high raspy style of Udo and the gruffness of Lemmy, yet still manages to be instantly recognisable whenever he opens his mouth. To be honest, I think Chris is the sort of vocalist that will turn some listeners off this band. If you don't like his vocals from day 1, you're probably gonna struggle with this entire catalogue. He's not really a good singer, but he also makes Grave Digger, well, Grave Digger. I love his vocals, but I became an instant fan of this band after I bought those 3 CDs last year.

Back to the album though, opener 'Headbanging Man' is a pure denin n' leather, balls to the wall '80s speed metal number through-and-through. It's kinda like a poster boy track for this style, a bit like Saxon's 'Heavy Metal Thunder' or Anthrax's 'Metal Thrashing Mad' ('cos that first Anthrax record was SPEED metal, not THRASH metal!). Big riffs, a fast tempo - but not blazingly quick either. 'Headbanging Man' rules, end of. The title track ironically contains no musical breakdowns (were they even yet a thing in metal in 1984?!), but is a jolly good time all the same. The chorus is surprisingly anthemic, and if it wasn't for Chris' vocals, it could easily pass for an Accept number. Great stuff. 'Back from the War' tries to be a bit moodier with it's monk-like chants and slow, doomy intro. It comes off as comedic more than anything, but in the way that only '80s heavy metal can pull off. And for that reason it's cool! 'Yesterday' is an attempt at doing a ballad I suppose, and again, I like it! It's a bit goofy and difficult to take seriously, but the added keyboards have been implemented rather well alongside Chris' vocal arrangements, which are very memorable. 'We Wanna Rock You' probably is as stupid as you'd expect to be lyrically, but musically it's thankfully still 100% heavy metal, and fits in comfortably alongside everything else on the album. Also, 'Legion of the Lost' is one of the best tracks here. It starts off with a ballad-like acoustic melody, but soon transitions into one of the heaviest numbers on the record. Maybe this track is a sign of what was to come years down the line? 'Tyant' and 'Heart Attack' keep the classic speed metal ball rolling until the end. The production is raw, but that's part of it's charm. And it's certainly not murky or seriously flawed in any way to me.

I really don't have a lot of serious problems with Heavy Metal Breakdown. Even the Rolling Stones cover, '2000 Lightyears from Home' manages to fit quite well here, mostly because it's played in the same style as everything else. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Grave Digger have fans that consider it inferior to many of their later albums from the '90s onward because like I said in the beginning of this review, they really found their feet and became better musicians for it. So HMB feels somewhat basic and primitive by comparison - but I've been a massive fan of  '80s heavy/speed metal with raw production and cheesy lyrics for well over half my life now, so I still largely enjoy this to the same extent as many of their later albums. You can't expect 'em to come out with a record like 2003's Rheingold from the get-go!! Either way, settling on an overall score was a tad tricky. I was thinking maybe an 8.4 originally, but I looked at some of my other review scores of other albums of similar-ish style and had a little rethink. For example, I don't think HMB is any better than Blind Guardian's Battalions of Fear (which I gave an 8.2), and I certainly don't think it's better than, say, Armoured Saint's March of the Saint or Saxon's Power & the Glory. And let's not forget the fact I think Grave Digger would pump out stronger albums in the future. Although Heavy Metal Breakdown might not be one of the GOATs of it's subgenre, it's a bloody good time if you like your metal as pure and honest as this.
Adam's rating: 8.2/10