Locked away inside a vault (probably deep underground, somewhere in Germany), the vast early days of ‘80s metal lay wasting away, courtesy of defunct Noise Records. Given the situation, and unlikely nature of any proper re-release and/or update, Chris Boltendahl (founder/singer) has taken it upon himself to let a new generation hear/own his handpicked favorites from that bygone era. Some, like “Witch Hunter” and the perennial show closer “Heavy Metal Breakdown” have been aired in concert, but the vast majority of these tunes (especially the War Games and Digger material) are from long forgotten (and at the time, unfavorably reviewed) discs. Appearing just as the division between pretty boys and thrashers intensified, Grave Digger inexplicably opted for the dollar signs that never materialized (even shorten their moniker to just Digger, for  Stronger Than Ever). Ultimately it cost them their fanbase, breaking up, until Boltendahl resurfaced in '93. 

This is traditional, no-frills metal fare, surprisingly none too far afield of the band's most recent output. A fiery “Headbanging Man” kicks things off, with a pumping, staccato driven guitar as a calling card. Been lucky enough to hear this one live in the last couple of years. Something hopefully North America will witness during their upcoming dates with Blind Guardian. Clickety-clack, “Fire In Your Eyes” mimics a locomotive. No let up here! The compositions are short, delivering the full-bore goods and then ending, without fancy embellishments. There's a simple hunger/urgency in the likes of “Shoot Her Down”, “Get Away” and The guitar tone for lyrically repetitive “Stand Up And Rock” is a little different, but with today's technology, nowhere as "out of place" as when originally recorded. The initial half of the baker's dozen contains the more battle tested tunes, although almost all are designed for sing-along live renditions. A re-investigation of War Games seems warranted, after hearing “Playin' Fools”, “Enola Gay” and disc closing “Paradise”. Essentially a re-imagined "greatest hits" album, featuring songs that never were recognized as such. Long live THIS version of the ‘80s!