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░█▒█ Artist ■ Digger █▒█░
░ █▒█ Album ■ Stronger Than Ever █▒█ ░
░█░█ Year ■ 1986 █░█░
█░█ Release Date ■ 2013-12-28 █░█
█░█ Genre ■ Heavy Metal █░█
█ █ Label ■ Noise International █ █
█░█ Source ■ CD █░█
█ █ Type ■ Album █ █
█░█ Quality ■ VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █░█
█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ After three heavy metal releases, the German legend "Grave █ █
█ █ Digger" decided to cut off the first word of their name and █ █
█ █ recorded a record with a more commercial attempt to gain █ █
█ █ success in North America and make more money. While the █ █
█ █ band wrote the music for the album, their record label █ █
█ █ hired two American songwriters for the lyrics to help the █ █
█ █ band improve intellectually. In the end, the concept didn't █ █
█ █ work and the band failed to hit the charts. The fans saw █ █
█ █ the record as treason and so the band had pretty much lost █ █
█ █ everything. Internal problems were the third cause that █ █
█ █ finally led the band to split up and they only reunited six █ █
█ █ years later under their initial name to play heavy metal █ █
█ █ music without any compromises. Until today the band and the █ █
█ █ fans feel ashamed for "Stronger Than Ever" which is the █ █
█ █ only record that was never officially re-released and that █ █
█ █ is eventually quite hard to find. The band members cited █ █
█ █ the recording of this album as their biggest mistake but █ █
█ █ that they had learned a lot from that time. █ █
█ █ An objective view on this infamous record reveals that the █ █
█ █ album isn't all that commercial, artificial and soft as █ █
█ █ many people might believe. In fact, there are many fast █ █
█ █ paced tracks on the record that could have fit on the █ █
█ █ previous War Games record like the sweating head banger █ █
█ █ "Lay it on" or the unexpected thrash metal hammer "Shadows █ █
█ █ of the past" that surprises with a psychedelic middle part █ █
█ █ while the rest of the song is the heaviest material the █ █
█ █ band had ever written to that point. █ █
█ █ On the other side, most of the more rock orientated tracks █ █
█ █ still sound quite edgy and heavy because of the singer's █ █
█ █ rough and aggressive vocals like in the opener "Stand up █ █
█ █ and rock". Even though the guitars are less present in the █ █
█ █ track and the keyboards quite dominant in the simply and █ █
█ █ catchy chorus, the song still breathes the vibe and style █ █
█ █ of Grave Digger and is not a radical change of style. █ █
█ █ The more commercial tracks like the title song "Stronger █ █
█ █ Than Ever" eventually sound a lot like commercial rock █ █
█ █ music of that time that is still greater than any █ █
█ █ artificial modern pop music. The said title track reminds █ █
█ █ me a lot of the works of David Bowie, Robert Palmer or █ █
█ █ Billy Idol of that time. I would go as far and say that █ █
█ █ those tracks showed a new and diversified musical side of █ █
█ █ the band and sounded rather interesting and appealing but I █ █
█ █ must admit that I like the mentioned musicians and the █ █
█ █ popular rock music of the seventies and eighties. On the █ █
█ █ other side, there are still melodic rock guitar solos in █ █
█ █ the tracks that are clearly influenced by the band's roots. █ █
█ █ Those songs are not entirely mass compatible and should not █ █
█ █ have offended the fans that much. I would also like to █ █
█ █ mention the experiment "Moonriders" that varies from epic █ █
█ █ metal passages over psychedelic pop passages to slight █ █
█ █ country influences and is a mixture of styles that I have █ █
█ █ never heard before. It's probably the most interesting █ █
█ █ track on the entire record. █ █
█ █ In the end, the only embarrassing thing about this release █ █
█ █ is its horrible cover artwork. The music itself is █ █
█ █ diversified and varies from danceable soft rock over hard █ █
█ █ rock and heavy metal to psychedelic thrash metal music. The █ █
█ █ band is catchier and sounds fresher than ever before and █ █
█ █ this could have been a start for a glorious era. I don't █ █
█ █ know what the label and the promoters did wrong in the end █ █
█ █ but they missed a big chance to make this record █ █
█ █ successful. It's not about the music because there is a lot █ █
█ █ of potential in here for many different genres and their █ █
█ █ fans. I was pleasantly surprised to discover an unexpected █ █
█ █ gem in here with only a couple of weak tracks, a rather █ █
█ █ weak production and a stupid cover why the rest is nearly █ █
█ █ excellent. If you have the chance to get the original vinyl █ █
█ █ version or the booklet pressing, don't hesitate and █ █
█ █ purchase this unknown and underrated gem if you like any █ █
█ █ kind of rock music and melodic heavy metal. █ █
█ █ █ █
█░█ █░█
█ █ 1. Wanna Get Close 4:33 █ █
█ █ 2. Don't Leave Me Lonely 4:22 █ █
█ █ 3. Stronger Than Ever 4:36 █ █
█ █ 4. Moonriders 3:47 █ █
█ █ 5. Lay it On 3:05 █ █
█ █ 6. I Don't Need Your Love 4:21 █ █
█ █ 7. Listen to the Music 3:52 █ █
█ █ 8. Stay Till the Morning 3:55 █ █
█ █ 9. Stand Up and Rock 4:01 █ █
█ █ 10. Shadows of the Past 2:45 █ █
█ █ 39:17 █ █
█░█░ █░█░
█░█░ █░█░
█░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒
░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒
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