Early years and split (1980–1987)
After various appearances at small festivals, the band recorded two songs for the compilation album Rock from Hell in 1983. A year later, Grave Digger, now comprising Chris Boltendahl (vocals), Peter Masson (guitar), Willi Lackmann (bass) and Albert Eckardt (drums), released their debut album Heavy Metal Breakdown.
In 1985, with Lackmann having left the band, they recorded and released their second album Witch Hunter. Only after the album was completed, a replacement on bass was found in the form of C.F. Brank. Further festival appearances followed, a tour with Helloween as special guest and, finally, their third album War Games in January 1986. To promote this album, a triple headline tour with Celtic Frost and Helloween followed. Thereafter, Peter Masson gave way to Uwe Lulis; in 1987 the band's name was changed to Digger, the name under which they released the album Stronger Than Ever. The album flopped, as it was not accepted by fans or the masses. As a result, Boltendahl declared at the end of 1987, the breakup of the band.
Reformation and Middle Ages Trilogy (1991–1999)
In 1991, the band was partially reformed. Boltendahl and Lulis, along with two newcomers, Tomi Göttlich and Jörg Michael, who had been the drummer for Rage and Running Wild, released a comeback record called The Reaper in 1993. This album was a return to the true roots of Grave Digger. In the same year, the album The Best of the Eighties was released. It represented a quasi Best-of-Album of their earlier songs.
An EP titled Symphony of Death followed in 1994. In the interim, Grave Digger, now with a new drummer, Frank Ullrich, toured Germany, playing as the warm-up act for Manowar. In 1995, the album Heart of Darkness appeared. It was a very dark album with many influences from the early works of Annihilator.
In 1996, Stefan Arnold became the band's new drummer. This year also marked the release of the concept album Tunes of War, which dealt with the history of Scotland. This album was the first part of the Middle Ages Trilogy. The second album, Knights of the Cross, with Jens Becker as bass guitarist, was released in 1998 and was about the rise and fall of the Knights Templar. The final part of the trilogy finished in 1999 with Excalibur. This album explored the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Shortly after, a tour soon followed through with keyboardist Hans-Peter Katzenburg, who later became a permanent band member.
The Grave Digger and Rheingold (2000–2004)
In 2000, Grave Digger celebrated their 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they performed at a sell-out concert at the Zeche in Bochum. Many of the band's most popular songs were played alongside other less well-known ones. There were also a number of different supporting acts appearing with Grave Digger. This concert also marked a defining chapter in the band's history, as Uwe Lulis left a short while before the concert because of personal and business reasons. Lulis finally called his new band Rebellion.
A replacement, in the form of the ex-Rage guitarist, Manni Schmidt, was found. Along with him and the new record label Nuclear Blast, the album The Grave Digger, appeared in 2001. The works of Edgar Allan Poe served as an inspiration for the lyrics of the new album. Their first live album, Tunes of Wacken, appeared in 2002. This was coupled with the release of their first DVD of the same name. The next album Rheingold was released on 26 May 2003, which centered on the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner. They embarked on a tour in support of the album into early 2004.
The Last Supper and Ballads of a Hangman (2005–2009)
After the successful Rheingold Tour, the band recorded another album, The Last Supper, which was released on 17 January 2005. The artwork was first revealed in November 2004 which received positive feedback. A number of fans were disappointed by the artwork because of the motive. The band issued a statement saying that the cover isn't a message of the Devil and not against Christians, but a representation of a depressive Jesus Christ at his last days before his death. Unlike their previous albums, The Last Supper was not a concept album, despite several songs about the last days of Jesus. A few journalists described the album as the best since Tunes of War or Heavy Metal Breakdown. According to the band, it contains "more metal, more passion and more power" than the group's previous efforts. Less than a month later, the band began a tour with Stormhammer and Astral Doors in Andernach, the birthplace of Manni Schmidt.
October 2005 saw the release of a live DVD titled 25 to Live, which was recorded live in São Paulo, commemorating the band's 25th anniversary.
In December 2006, a number of release parties was announced for the band's follow-up album, Liberty or Death, which was released on 12 January 2007. A Double-Headline Tour together with Therion followed, beginning 17 January 2007 in Essen.
In late February 2008, Grave Digger began writing new material. In mid-August, they entered Principal studios with additional guitarist Thilo Hermann to record their 13th studio album entitled Ballads of a Hangman, which was released on 9 January 2009 under their new label Napalm Records. It was their first album with twin guitars.
In February 2009, the band parted ways with Thilo Hermann due to the built up excitement of a second guitarist and with the free space on stage and musical aspects that was observed by every old band member independently. In early October, Manni Schmidt left the band due to ongoing disagreements with Chris Boltendahl.
The Clans Will Rise Again and The Living Dead (2010–2018)
On 12 January 2010, Schmidt was replaced by Domain guitarist Axel Ritt after performing temporarily during the remaining dates of the band's previous tour. On 1 October 2010, Grave Digger released the album The Clans Will Rise Again in Europe, with a North American release following soon after. The band members explain that it is a loose sequel of the 1996 album Tunes of War, "but this time not a concept album about the Scottish history, rather a work about Scotland, its mysticism and its people." On 11 September 2011, a video for the song "Highland Farewell" was made available for streaming.
On 27 July 2012, the band released an EP entitled Home at Last with the album Clash of the Gods following on 31 August 2012. They performed a handful of shows in the UK and Europe from early to late 2012 and then toured throughout 2013 in Europe and a few shows in Brazil in support of the album.
In February 2014, the band began recording their next album titled Return of the Reaper, which was released on 11 July 2014, with later release dates elsewhere. In November 2014, keyboardist H.P. Katzenburg left the band in order to spend more time on outside projects. He was replaced by new member Marcus Kniep, who would continue performing as The Reaper.
In October 2015, Exhumation - The Early Years was released, which contains re-recorded versions of the band's "absolute classics with a dynamic and powerful sound of 2015," according to a press release.
In June 2016, Grave Digger entered the studio to begin working on their next album entitled Healed by Metal, which was released on 13 January 2017. They embarked on a tour with Blind Guardian as the support act on the second leg North American tour supporting the album Beyond the Red Mirror.
In March 2018, the band returned to the studio to record their nineteenth album The Living Dead, which was released on 14 September 2018, with a European tour taking place in January 2019. On 25 June 2018, longtime drummer Stefan Arnold departed the band. He was replaced by Marcus Kniep.
Fields of Blood (2020–present)
Grave Digger's twentieth album Fields of Blood was released on 29 May 2020, celebrating the band's 40th anniversary. The follow-up album Symbol of Eternity was released on 26 August 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_Digger_(band)
Studio albums
Heavy Metal Breakdown (1984)
Witch Hunter (1985)
War Games (1986)
Stronger Than Ever (1986) (as Digger)
The Reaper (1993)
Heart of Darkness (1995)
Tunes of War (1996)
Knights of the Cross (1998)
Excalibur (1999)
The Grave Digger (2001)
Rheingold (2003)
The Last Supper (2005)
Liberty or Death (2007)
Ballads of a Hangman (2009)
The Clans Will Rise Again (2010)
Clash of the Gods (2012)
Return of the Reaper (2014)
Healed by Metal (2017)
The Living Dead (2018)
Fields of Blood (2020)
Symbol of Eternity (2022)
Black Cat
Grave Digger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But she drives me mad
I poked out her eye and then her eye
And now she's dead
And in the night the house burnt down
I feeled so guilty, it makes me frown
I see a shadow hanging in the moon
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I SEE THIS DEVIL ON THE WALL
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I FEEL LIKE DYING AFTER ALL
One day a new one stepped into my life
Loved by me and my wife
I remember the past, tried to do the same
And I don't know my name
And once again I feel this bloody spell
I kill my wife and bury her well
This perverse madness has taken control
Now I'm imprisoned with this broken soul
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
AND I MURDER MY WIFE AND SPLIT HER HEAD
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I'M GOING CRAZY AND NOW SHE'S DEAD
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I SEE THIS DEVIL ON THE WALL
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I FEEL LIKE DYING AFTER ALL
[Solo]
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
AND I MURDER MY WIFE AND SPLIT HER HEAD
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I'M GOING CRAZY AND NOW SHE'S DEAD
The lyrics to Grave Digger's song Black Cat tell the dark and twisted story of a man and his descent into madness. In the beginning of the song, he expresses his love for his cat, but also his frustration with her behavior. This frustration leads to him poking out her eye and then eventually killing her. The guilt over this act drives him to drink heavily and become increasingly unstable.
As the lyrics continue, the man's madness takes hold more and more. He kills his wife and buries her, citing a desire to repeat the same act as with his cat. The black cat is mentioned throughout the song as a menacing presence, a devil on the wall, haunting him and driving him further into insanity. The final lines of the song express how far the man has fallen, as he sees himself committing these horrible acts and feels like he is dying.
Overall, the lyrics to Black Cat are a disturbing and intense portrayal of one man's descent into madness and the terrible things he does as a result.
Line by Line Meaning
I love my cat, she's a wonderful one
I have a pet cat whom I adore and find delightful
But she drives me mad
Even though I love my cat, she makes me feel insane
I poked out her eye and then her eye
I intentionally caused harm to my cat, first blinding one eye and then the other
And now she's dead
My cat died from the harm that I inflicted upon her
And in the night the house burnt down
At some point, my home caught fire during the night
I feeled so guilty, it makes me frown
I experienced strong feelings of guilt that made me unhappy
I see a shadow hanging in the moon
I glimpse a dark figure silhouetted against the moon
And I start drinking until noon
In response to my turmoil and regret, I begin drinking alcohol heavily until midday
I SEE THE BLACK CAT
I see a black cat, which triggers further distress
I SEE THIS DEVIL ON THE WALL
The black cat seems to take on an otherworldly, menacing aspect on the wall
I FEEL LIKE DYING AFTER ALL
The sight of the black cat and the weight of my actions make me feel like I want to die
One day a new one stepped into my life
A new cat enters my life at some point
Loved by me and my wife
Both I and my spouse care for this new cat
I remember the past, tried to do the same
I recall my past behavior with my previous cat and attempt to repeat it with my new one
And I don't know my name
My actions make me feel disconnected from myself and confused about my identity
And once again I feel this bloody spell
I find myself under the same crazed impulse as before
I kill my wife and bury her well
Under the influence of my madness, I murder my spouse and dispose of her body
This perverse madness has taken control
The madness I experience is depraved and dominates my thoughts and actions
Now I'm imprisoned with this broken soul
As a result of my heinous acts and deteriorating mental state, I find myself trapped both physically and spiritually
AND I MURDER MY WIFE AND SPLIT HER HEAD
I repeat my violent and deadly behavior, this time leading to the gruesome killing of my spouse
I'M GOING CRAZY AND NOW SHE'S DEAD
The insanity that grips me ultimately leads to the death of my wife
I see the black cat
The black cat continues to haunt me even in my darkest moments
I see this devil on the wall
The cat takes on an almost demonic quality when I look at it
I feel like dying after all
I am overcome with a sense of hopelessness and despair
[Solo]
An instrumental section, likely a guitar solo
Contributed by Callie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.