Band : Grave Digger
Album title : Ballad Of Mary
Label : Napalm Records
Distributor : Rough Trade Benelux.
Release Date : 04/03/2011
Release : EP CD

Time goes by unnoticed.  Would you believe that Grave Digger existed 30 years in 2010.  To celebrate this anniversary they invited quite a few guests onto stage at Wacken Open Air 2010.
This was greatly appreciated by fans, hence they decided to record this EP, ‘The Ballad Of Mary’(queen of Scots, for those who like a bit of historical background).
I must admit I’ve never been that big a fan of German Power Metal, which meant I didn’t follow the career of Grave Digger  over  the years.

The EP contains 5 tracks, and starts with the title track ‘The Ballad Of Mary’.  I was immediately seduced by this song, since it features none other then Doro Pesch as co-vocalist.  The second track is also a stunner, featuring Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and Van Canto in a supporting role;
Track 3 is an extended symphonic version of the title track. With both Doro and Van Canto as co-vocalists.  The last two tracks are taken from their last album ‘The Clans Will March Again’, and have been adapted a bit, and besides that, most of the vocals were scrapped.

A good EP, but if you’re not a die-hard Grave Digger fan, I’d advise to buy their last full album instead.

70/100

Erik Morren.