Review by Jophelerx on July 25, 2024.

I would say it's pretty unusual for a band to release their magnum opus 20+ years into their career, but in Grave Digger's case that's exactly what happened. Honestly, I can't really think of another band where that's the case - plenty of bands have great albums later on into their careers, but one that's widely hailed as their best? Satan's Host comes to mind, I suppose, with the return of Harry Conklin 25 years after their debut, but in that case the band saw a huge stylistic change that felt more like a comeback than anything. Grave Digger, on the other hand, just churned out solid album after solid album until they suddenly released a masterpiece as their tenth full-length effort, revitalizing the genre despite no major stylistic adjustments or member changes. Of course, it's not like the difference between this and other strong albums like Tunes of War or Excalibur is incredibly large, but it's still a remarkable trajectory for a band, so let's take a closer look at what exactly made 2003's Rheingold such a winner for the band.

Firstly, the lyrical themes are more general than the band's usual fare - for example, the two aforementioned albums, Tunes of War and Excalibur, focus on medieval Scottish history and Arthurian legends, respectively, and this was a pretty common tool for the band throughout their string of 90s albums - to base an album around a single concept (a concept album, though in some cases the term fits a bit more loosely than others), but that's pretty much entirely abandoned here. There are some references to Valhalla in both the track of the same name and the closer "Twilight of the Gods," but that's about the extent of it. Now, to be clear, I am a fan of concept albums when they're done well, and Grave Digger do have some good ones, but in this specific case I think the lack of a unifying concept actually works in the band's favor, allowing them to explore various tropes and ideas without being restricted by one mythos. It's clear the band had a lot of ideas rolling around in this era, and it occurs to me that perhaps this was the album they used as a platform for songs they couldn't fit into many of their previous efforts. This is entirely conjecture on my part, but it does some to fit with the unusual depth and variety present on this album.

It's also structured very competently - though this was never really an issue with the band, whose albums tend to consist of mostly speedy tracks with a ballad thrown in somewhere and perhaps one or two longer, more symphonic "epics," in this case I have to say I really couldn't think of a better track listing if I tried, with the title track opening as a speedy but a bit more restrained number, leading into the album's three best tracks, the absolute classic scorcher "Valhalla," the slightly more complex but still roaring and incredibly catchy "Giants," and then my personal favorite track from the band's entire discography, "Maidens of War," which features an incredibly powerful main riff but also an enchanting softer motif, starting with a single acoustic riff reminiscent of something Manilla Road's Mark Shelton might have come up with, and then extended at the end with a multi-tracked chorus of Boltendahl movingly repeating "Why, why, why?" that takes a page from Blind Guardian's handbook. This track really showcases both the intensity and tenderness present within Grave Digger's sound, and shows how allowing the band's versatility to really shine within the context of a single album makes for a truly satisfying listen.

While I feel that the second half of the album is slightly weaker, I have to reiterate that the track listing is perfect; allowing the listener to breathe with a couple of midpaced rockers in "Sword" and "Dragon" works well after turning things up to 11 in the first half. The latter track is probably my least favorite here, as the riffing is pretty bare-bones and the song is really a bit too long to ride entirely on one ultra-simple riff, but it's still fun overall and does feature some tasty soloing here and there. Thankfully, things ramp up again with the thunderous electricity of "Liar," boasting a driving main riff that lesser bands can only dream of, and the track's brevity allows its punch to just keep going and never let up. "Murderer" slows things down again with a dark, ominous intro that eventually features more multi-tracked "chorus" style vocals, and, while this sort of track is something the band has done before on an album like "Heart of Darkness," incorporating it here is a tonal shift on a level we don't normally see from them. While the structure of the song is simple, its alternation of softer and heavier passages creates an interesting juxtaposition we also don't often hear from them, as usually there either a softer intro followed by the rest of the track being metal, or the track is an out-and-out ballad. Again, this works to encapsulate the overall variety of the album, and in fact I believe this is one of the only Grave Digger albums not to feature a full ballad at all.

The album closes with the longer epic "Twilight of the Gods," which is actually a bit more predictable than I'd like, with a fairly generic main riff and a chorus that could be more memorable, though the intro and outro are excellent, the latter featuring some plaintive acoustic guitar reminiscent of the ending of Blind Guardian's "The Bard's Song - The Hobbit," and is quite appropriate to send off the album. All in all, I find Rheingold to be a bit paradoxical - it eschews many of the band's previous traditions, such as a unifying concept, an album ballad, and a shorter overall length, with their previous five albums all in the 52-58 minute range, while Rheingold comes in at a tight 45 (and even then, I think trimming down "Twilight of the Gods" a bit would be to the album's benefit). This is a more accessible, stripped-down experience, a bit like a Grave Digger sample platter. It's like the label wanted to do a best-of compilation and the band was like, "No, fuck you, we're going to make our own best-of with all new tracks!" This album is the quintessential Grave Digger and, whether intentional or not, serves as the perfect entry point for anyone looking to get into the band, or, for that matter, power metal in general. Nearly 20 years later, Rheingold has stood the test of time, and proves that, even well into a band's career, it's never too late to strike gold.

Rating: 9.4 out of 10