Review by Rexorcist for Grave Digger - Tunes of War (1996)
Grave Digger could never reach the heights of the giants of German power metal, and more often than not they fail to make something truly noteworthy. Such is not the case with Tunes of War, their best album so far. Backed up by a Scottish folk vibe to help bring out the vibe of its historical themes, Tunes of War is Grave Digger's roughest and most melodic album, and thus far the easiest to headbang to. And because it's unique from most of their discography, the album is also their most creative. After seven tries, Grave Digger managed to make an essential to any power metal collection, and would continue to do so with Exccalibur.
Stylistically, however, they offer little new. Their overall genre is still pretty much the same as most of their notable works, Scottish folk influence aside. They are all great takes on the typical power metal structure, but it's still a little typical, which is the only real flaw. Otherwise, I recommend this for any power metal fan.