GRAVE DIGGER - Tunes Of Wacken
May 30, 2002, 22 years ago
(G.U.N. Records)
There are those that will undoubtedly question the wisdom of Grave Digger recording an hour's worth of live footage in broad daylight, thus reducing the flash factor by half in spite of the pyro used to blow up the stage. But what Tunes Of Wacken lacks in that regard is more than made up for through sheer energy from both the band and the crowd. This thing has all the polish of a lump of coal, but therein lies the charm, this DVD giving the uninitiated a taste of what Wacken is all about: big stage, big sound, big frigging audience. It also shows just how much of an institution Grave Digger actually is (there's a guy in the crowd waving a full sized scythe, fer cryin' out loud!), the audience needing no prompting from singer Chris Boltendahl come chorus time during songs like 'Excalibur', 'Lionheart', 'Rebellion' and 'Heavy Metal Breakdown'. The band did a fine job putting this package together (the record company was only worried about squeezing a final album out of these guys), both the picture and sound being top notch. But you're more likely to seek out your favourite clips rather than watch this thing through more than once due to the lack of flash. Also features backstage footage, a photo gallery, and a hilarious recap of the band's festival schedule. New fangled technology used well by one of the oldest (and best) of old school metal bands.
