A new guitarist and a new record label. How can those result to a band?
Well, naturally...A new album. A refreshed atmosphere. New ideas and a
Chris ready to conquer all metal maniacs. What more? Read to learn!!
1.FIRST OF ALL CONGARTULATIONS FOR
YOUR NEW ALBUM. TELL US IN A FEW WORDS SOME THINGS REGARDING YOUR
NEW ALBUM. WHERE WAS IT RECORDED, WHO WAS THE PRODUCER AND HOW LONG
DID IT TAKE YOU TO FINISH IT?
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The album was recorded in Senden/Germany
by Chris Boltehdahl, Manni Schmidt, Jörg Umbreit and Vince Sorg. We
needed all together 4 weeks for the production.
2.YOU NAMED YOUR ALBUM "THE GRAVE DIGGER".
THE BAND NAME AS AN ALBUM TITLE IS MOSTLY USED IN THE DEBUT
ALBUMS. WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
-
This is the third period of GRAVE DIGGER,
so we thought, it´s a good idea to start with a selftitled album.
3.WHY DID YOU CHANGE RECORD LABEL AND
YOU MOVED TO NUCLEAR BLAST? WEREN'T YOU SATISFIED FROM YOUR OLD ONE?
-
Because GUN Records didn´t support
us anymore the way we needed it. Especially in the foreign countries.
4.HOW HAS IT INFLUENCED YOU IN THE
COMPOSING OF NEW MATERIAL THE DEPARTURE OF A GUITARIST AND THE ARRIVAL
OF A NEW ONE?
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Manni was so full of energy, ideas
and creativaty what helped so much to write this new masterpiece. He
tunes down his guitar, what gives us also a new face.
5.IS YOUR ALBUM A CONCEPT? YOUR LYRICS
ARE DEFINATELY THE DARKEST AND SCARRIEST, YOU HAVE WRITTEN. THEY BROUGHT
TO MY MIND EDGAR ALAN POE AND MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND. WHAT DO
YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THAT?
-
This album, you can see as a kind of
"tribute" to Edgar A. Poe. I love him and the way he is writing and
he influenced the new lyrics a lot.
6.THERE ARE MANY THOSE WHO CLAIM THAT
GRAVE DIGGER AND THE GERMAN POWER IN ITS WHOLE, PLAY ALWAYS THE SAME AND
HAVE NO ORIGINALITY IN THEIR SOUND. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
-
I would advice these people to listen
to the new GRAVE DIGGER album and they will see how different german
heavy metal can be.
7.YOU HAVE COVERED THE SONG "HELLAS"
ORIGINALLY BY VASILIS PAPAKONSTANTINOY. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
-
I love Greece and the music of
V.P. My biggest wish is to sing "Hellas, Hellas" with him and GRAVE DIGGER
one day live on stage in your country.
8.WHICH ARE GRAVE DIGGER'S INFLUENCES?
-
Back in the 80´ies IRON MAIDEN,
JUDAS PRIEST and ACCEPT.
9.A TRIBUTE ALBUM FOR RUNNING WILD
IS GOING ON. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE PART ESPECIALLY NOW THAT YOU
HAVE A X- MEMBER IN THE BAND? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TRIBUTE ALBUMS?
-
We would like to be a part of such
an album ´cause we have a good relation with Running Wild. In my
opinion, there are too many of these tributes. Normally you do a tribute
to somebody who is dead...
10.THERE WAS A RUMOR REGARDING A PROJECT
YOU WERE ABOUT TO DO FOR THE TROJAN WAR OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IS IT TRUE
OR JUST RUMORS?
-
There were plans but the change of
the guitarist and the change of the old label gave a rest to that project.
But it´s still on my mind.
11.I THINK THAT YOU HAVE A LABEL, FLYING
DOLPHIN. CAN YOU TELL US SOME NEWS ABOUT IT? WHICH ARE YOUR PLANS?
-
I have no label, I have a promotion
agency. I help bands to get to the public by magazines, radio and TV shows
and other promotion work.
12.HAVE YOU LISTENED TO ANY GREEK BANDS
YOU FOUND INTERESTING? IF YES WHICH?
13.ARE YOU PLANNING TO COME FOR A LIVE
SHOW IN GREECE?
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Naturally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14.DO YOU LIKE READING BOOKS? WHICH
IS YOUR MOST BELOVED BOOK AND AUTHOR?
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I love to read and I like naturally
Edgar A. Poe and Harry Potter.
15.WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMPOSE THE SOUNDTRACK
FOR A MOVIE? WHICH MOVIE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
-
I could imagine something like this,
maybe a historical film or a horror movie.
16.WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN'T
ABLE TO PLAY AND COMPOSE MUSIC?
17.BRING TO MIND ALL YOUR SONGS. WHICH
ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE AS THE MOST IDEAL IF YOU WEREN'T FAMOUS TO MAKE YOURSELF
KNOWN IN PUBLIC?
18.WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE
POLITICAL SITUATION AFTER THOSE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE U.S.A.?
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You need to fight against these terrorists
´cause if you ignore them, they will attack again to show their presence.
But generally I´m against war and violence at all. Especially in
heavy metal we are one big family and we don´t need hate and war...
19.THESE LAST LINES BELONG TO YOU...THANKS!I
WISH YOU THE BEST WITH YOUR NEW ALBUM!
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To all greek metal maniacs, make "The
Grave Digger" a success and we see us in 2002, rock hard, Chris.