┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + Grave Digger - Fields Of Blood + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Rls Date..2020-08-16 Encoder......LAME 3.100 ║ │ │║ Genre.....Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year......2020 Khz/Bitrate..44.1 / VBR kbps ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper....Anthem Songs........12 ║ │ │║ Source....CD Covers.......Yes ║ │ │║ Url..http://www.grave-digger-clan.de ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : Grave Digger ║ │ │║ Album : Fields Of Blood ║ │ │║ Label : Napalm Records ║ │ │║ Cat.No : NPR928 ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ItÆs difficult to realize a great idea and then avoid ║ │ │║ returning to it, especially within a grand career that has ║ │ │║ spanned four decades. Whether it has been Running WildÆs ║ │ │║ recurring theme of swashbuckling pirates on the high seas ║ │ │║ or HelloweenÆs recurring tale of a hero wielding seven ║ │ │║ magical keys, there is something about a signature story ║ │ │║ that demands a continuation, even if itÆs not a proper ║ │ │║ sequel. For Grave Digger, one of the eldest Teutonic ║ │ │║ responses to the NWOBHM and a key progenitor of the German ║ │ │║ speed metal scene, their pivotal moment came a bit later in ║ │ │║ their career with the release of 1996Æs Tunes Of War, a ║ │ │║ bold conceptual work about the history of Scotland that was ║ │ │║ likely put into Boltendahl and companyÆs heads by the ║ │ │║ recent releases of films like Rob Roy and Braveheart. An ║ │ │║ eventual sequel would emerge fourteen years later in the ║ │ │║ riveting crusher The Clans Will Rise Again, all but setting ║ │ │║ the stage for yet another chapter to close out what was ║ │ │║ clearly an epic trilogy. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Roughly ten years to the day, the circle has now been ║ │ │║ completed with the arrival of Fields Of Blood, Grave ║ │ │║ DiggerÆs 20th studio LP and a riveting beast of a musical ║ │ │║ tale to boot. With the lionÆs share of this outfit flirting ║ │ │║ with their 60s and now reduced to four principle members, ║ │ │║ this colossal machine has lost none of its steam and puts ║ │ │║ the rest of GermanyÆs booming power metal scene on notice ║ │ │║ with an unrelenting collection of masterfully crafted, high ║ │ │║ octane steel. Likewise, though front man Chris Boltendahl ║ │ │║ has put his aging vocal chords through the proverbial ║ │ │║ ringer for about 40 years, his lion-like roar has all of ║ │ │║ the power and gravely charm of Lemmy Kilmister and still ║ │ │║ manages to come off as nimble and dynamic in spite of a ║ │ │║ fairly limited tonal range when compared to legion of ║ │ │║ Halford imitators associated with the style. One would also ║ │ │║ be remiss to discount the virtuoso guitar wizardry of 10 ║ │ │║ year veteran and lone axe man Alex Ritt, injecting ║ │ │║ occasional Neo-classical flourishes and bluesy swagger into ║ │ │║ this bandÆs rustic, no nonsense approach to things. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ While seemingly just another by-the-numbers affair from a ║ │ │║ band that has been about as prolific in the studio as ║ │ │║ Saxon, this album proves to be anything but for anyone that ║ │ │║ has stuck it out as a fan since the bandÆs early 90s ║ │ │║ reunion. A lot of the quirky asides into polka gimmickry ║ │ │║ and somewhat reductive throwbacks to 80s arena rock ║ │ │║ orthodoxy that have popped up over the past decade here and ║ │ │║ there are nowhere to be found on this conceptual offering, ║ │ │║ having given way to a consistent fit of power-infused ║ │ │║ metallic conceptual storytelling with some obvious nods to ║ │ │║ olden Scottish folk tunes. Obvious nods to the period being ║ │ │║ depicted in the bagpipe-steeped intro ôThe ClansmanÆs ║ │ │║ Journeyö, and the epic intro of the slow-marching fanfare ║ │ │║ ôThe Heart Of Scotlandö are merely the most blatant moments ║ │ │║ of an album that adapts the period musical practices of ║ │ │║ this albumÆs subject to the metal medium as brilliantly as ║ │ │║ Running WildÆs seminal offerings did with colonial sea ║ │ │║ shanties. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Pointing to a select group of songs as standout moments ║ │ │║ proves to be a highly daunting task, but there is a pretty ║ │ │║ clear delineation between this albumÆs various chapters, ║ │ │║ creating a sense of cadence to its pacing that is difficult ║ │ │║ to miss. Generally frenetic and biting speed metal anthems ║ │ │║ like ôAll For The Kingdomö and ôGathering Of The Clansö ║ │ │║ tend to be the order of the day here, being surpassed by ║ │ │║ borderline thrashing mayhem in ôFreedomö and ôUnion Of The ║ │ │║ Crownö and separated by varying degrees of more restrained ║ │ │║ yet highly memorable interludes. The ballad/duet ôThousand ║ │ │║ Tearsö provides a brilliant contrast of voice types between ║ │ │║ BoltendahlÆs signature husky baritone croon that he can ║ │ │║ surprisingly still call upon after shouting his head off ║ │ │║ with a Doro Pesch-like splendor out of Battle Beast ║ │ │║ vocalist Noora Louhimo, not to mention further exploiting ║ │ │║ the bagpipes for added vernacular realism. But it all comes ║ │ │║ home with the grand epic title song ôFields Of Bloodö, ║ │ │║ which is probably the most ambitious offering to ever come ║ │ │║ out of this bandÆs arsenal and showcases musician in this ║ │ │║ fold at their best. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ To say that this is the best work to come out of this band ║ │ │║ in more than a decade is by no means an understatement, nor ║ │ │║ does it serve to diminish what has been a highly consistent ║ │ │║ output since Alex Ritt first stepped in to fill two ║ │ │║ guitarist vacancies single-handedly a decade prior. It ║ │ │║ stands above the path both for its lyrical ambition, but ║ │ │║ more so for its musical prowess, which sees said guitar god ║ │ │║ fully stepping into the role and rivaling the likes of ║ │ │║ Chris Impellitteri and Steve Vai while being able to throw ║ │ │║ out a crunchy, textbook speed metal riff without resorting ║ │ │║ to excessive showboating. Calling this the best power metal ║ │ │║ album of 2020 may be a tad premature given that the halfway ║ │ │║ point of the year is a tad past its release date and a ║ │ │║ number of prominent bands have promising ventures scheduled ║ │ │║ before the 31st of December, but if this isnÆt a contender ║ │ │║ then it is impossible to know what would be. If one doesnÆt ║ │ │║ immediately become inspired to push the English back to the ║ │ │║ south of HadrianÆs Wall after hearing this, then one ║ │ │║ doesnÆt understand the meaning of metal. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Originally written for Sonic Perspectives ║ │ │║ (www.sonicperspectives.com) ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 1. The Clansman's Journey 1:27 │ │ 2. All For The Kingdom 4:11 │ │ 3. Lions Of The Sea 3:59 │ │ 4. Freedom 4:54 │ │ 5. The Heart Of Scotland 5:19 │ │ 6. Thousand Tears 4:58 │ │ 7. Union Of The Crown 3:59 │ │ 8. My Final Fight 4:09 │ │ 9. Gathering Of The Clans 3:57 │ │ 10. Barbarian 3:43 │ │ 11. Fields Of Blood 10:11 │ │ 12. Requiem For The Fallen 3:00 │ │ │ │ │ │ Total Length : 00:53:47 │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘