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)
Fallout
Grave Digger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The warning from the bell
To late to run
Let's the scream coming night
In the falling of the bombs
It's the fly of the worms
When the flames burns high
That's no one to hide
Now the shell burn down
Cold I will it feels
In the holy mouth
Fallout
Now it's time who die
Darkness turn around
Be on the wine
Day in on unbelief
Unlocked by eyes
In flying time
Once upon the fire
No is get time
Becomes in the beat
No more tears to pride
Feel in the bible
Command dies
By the flames I come
The flames in he's own
To go desecrate
There's no evil's guide
The darkness well
The god's son
But I now will flow
The running commands
But none create
But you never shall
But in nights you stay
The flame remain
Music: Fallout
Album: War Games (1986)
The lyrics of Grave Digger's song Fallout are quite ominous and seem to convey a sense of impending doom. The verse "View your time has come, the warning from the bell, too late to run, let's the scream coming night" suggests that the song is about a war or some kind of catastrophic event that is about to occur. The reference to "fallout" in the title implies that this is the aftermath of a nuclear attack or war, where radiation is spreading and people are struggling to survive.
The following verse "In the falling of the bombs, it's the fly of the worms, when the flames burns high, that's no one to hide, because the enemy is in sight" paints a bleak picture of the destruction caused by the war. The reference to "worms" and "flames" evoke images of destruction and death, while the line "that's no one to hide" suggests that there is nowhere to escape from this destruction. The song goes on to describe the darkness and chaos that ensues, with the lines "Darkness turn around, be on the wine, day in on unbelief, unlocked by eyes, in flying time."
Overall, the lyrics of Fallout convey a sense of despair and hopelessness, as people try to survive in the aftermath of a devastating war. The song seems to be a warning against the dangers of war and the catastrophic consequences it can have.
Line by Line Meaning
View your time are come
The time to face the consequences of your actions has arrived
The warning from the bell
The warning signs have been there all along, but you ignored them
To late to run
It's too late to escape the fallout of your choices
Let's the scream coming night
Prepare yourself for the inevitable suffering that is about to come
In the falling of the bombs
During the detonation and descent of the weapons of destruction
It's the fly of the worms
The imagery of worms emerging from the ground after a bombing
When the flames burns high
The devastating effects of fire on buildings and people alike
That's no one to hide
There is nowhere to conceal oneself from the destruction
Because the enemy is in sight
The visible manifestation of the enemy has been revealed
Now the shell burn down
The explosive shells have caused everything to crumble and collapse
Cold I will it feels
The numbness and emptiness that follows such destruction
In the holy mouth
The mouths of the holy have not been spared from destruction
Fallout
The aftermath of a nuclear explosion
Now it's time who die
Now is the time for death, there's no turning back
Darkness turn around
The darkness has completely engulfed everything
Be on the wine
Be consumed by bitterness and pain
Day in on unbelief
The disbelief one feels when faced with such unimaginable destruction
Unlocked by eyes
The eyes have been opened and the truth revealed
In flying time
Everything is happening so fast, like a blur
Once upon the fire
The past has been engulfed by fire and nothing remains
No is get time
There is no time left, everything has been destroyed
Becomes in the beat
Resigning to fate, waiting for the end
No more tears to pride
Resigning to the fact that there is nothing left to be proud of
Feel in the bible
Finding solace and comfort in religious beliefs
Command dies
The commands of the powerful and authoritative have no effect anymore
By the flames I come
The artist speaks from the perspective of the flames engulfing everything
The flames in he's own
Each individual is consumed by the flames of their own actions and choices
To go desecrate
To destroy and defile everything in one's path
There's no evil's guide
There is no one to blame for the destruction, it is the result of collective choices
The darkness well
The darkness has taken over, engulfing everything
The god's son
The religious God's son has not been spared from destruction
But I now will flow
The artist is resigned to fate and will follow the path laid out for them
The running commands
The commands to run and escape are futile, as there is no escape
But none create
None are capable of creating anything worthwhile now
But you never shall
There is no chance for redemption, no chance to create anything new
But in nights you stay
The nights will be long and endless, filled with terror and despair
The flame remain
The flames of destruction and devastation will remain, a constant reminder of the past
Contributed by Brody W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-of8gh8lw6n
СУМАСШЕДШИЙ АЛЬБОМ!!!! BEST OF GRAVE DIGGER(IMHO)
@TaneNorther
My definite favourite from War Games.
@user-vb8ec7fu9w
Самый лучший!!
@thebarbaryghostsf
Damn this song almost sounds like Goth-Rock.
@udoozzy2474
Temon!!? Ojalá después de Colombia pasen a Lima en 2023..
@walissondigger5070
my band ....
@Sloth53
god stuff