On the occasion of releasing their 18th album in almost 40 years, Grave Digger's guitarist Axel ''Ironfinger'' Ritt gives to Rock Overdose and to Dimitris Aloras the full details concerning their new album ''The Living Dead''. He expresses his thoughts that the band is as powerful as never before, he tells us that they could no longer work with long-time drummer Stefan Arnold and he waits eagerly to visit Greece once again and meet the Greek fans.
Rock Overdose: Hello Axel and welcome to Rock Overdose. First of all, it’s been about a year and a half since the release of ‘’Healed By Metal’’. We’d like to know your impressions about this album and what kind of response it had to the Grave Digger fans.
Axel Ritt: We had a lot of success with this album, for example it was the highest chart entry for Grave Digger ever. We wanted to do a real true metal album, so the focus was on straight songs with a classic metal approach. It all went pretty well and we were very happy that the fans liked the album that much.
Rock Overdose: The new album is entitled ‘’The Living Dead’’ and is coming out in September, 20 months after ‘’Healed By Metal’’. Rather soon to be honest. Did you have any songs left out from ‘’Healed By Metal’’ or did you compose material faster than other times?
Axel Ritt: No, we started from scratch with a complete new concept regarding songwriting. Although we are old farts we’re still full of energy regarding songwriting and live performances, so why waiting for 1 or 2 more years?
Rock Overdose: So far we have only heard ‘’Fear Of The Living Dead’’, the opening track of the album, quite different in rhythm compared to the middle Grave Digger track. What is special to ‘’The Living Dead’’ and how does it sound like? Is it fast, heavy, mid-tempo? What should the fans wait?
Axel Ritt: Well, the fans will be surprised about the development of the band. We do have a perfect mixture of heavy, mid, fast und “fast-as-fuck-fast“ songs, which are also scratching at the left and right edges of the classic Grave Digger sound.
And we do have 'Zombie Dance' the official video track of the album, a metal polka, which will be released at August 18th and will polarize the fans to the very end, but regarding the quotes of the journalists who already heard the song, it will be the next big hit for Grave Digger.
Rock Overdose: ‘’The Living Dead’’ is the 18th studio album for the band, quite an achievement to be honest. Did you believe when you started or when you disbanded that one day you’d have 18 albums out? How does it feel every time you release an album and what’s different nowadays compared to the past?
Axel Ritt: When I started working as a professional musician, my aim was to play, compose and arrange music as long as my brain and my body will keep me able to do so. Obviously 18 studio albums are quite a huge number of records, but for example, a band like CHICAGO released almost 40 albums.
You see, there’s a lot of space up to the top. Releasing an album is always like a little giving birth, so of course, we as the fathers are very proud of it, no matter what some people might say.
Rock Overdose: This is the last album with Stefan Arnold on the drums, as he is no longer a member of the band. He was your partner for 22 years, the longest remaining person except Chris of course. What happened and you parted ways after so much time?
Axel Ritt: It didn’t work out anymore. Working together in band is like a marriage, sometime it last a few years, sometimes forever. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more to say.
Rock Overdose: On the other hand, behind the drums you now have Marcus Kniep, who proves to be quite a soldier for the band, at first he took the place of H.P. Katzenburg on the keyboards and now he replaces Stefan Arnold. How easy was to choose him as the new drummer and what happens now with the keyboard position?
Axel Ritt: It happened pretty natural. Marcus and I joined the band almost at the same time in 2009 and he started as the drum technician of the band. At that time, I didn’t know, that he was working on his keyboard skill and that he’s an awesome drummer as well.
After some years, I saw him at his personal you tube channel, playing Dream Theater arrangements in the row with AC/DC beats and I asked myself what the hell is that? Because he knew all of the Grave Digger songs, it only took one rehearsal to ask him becoming the permanent drummer of the band.
Rock Overdose: Many people of my generation didn’t understand the importance of Grave Digger in the old days, until the reformation took part. How did the fans react when you came back? Do you believe you did things better when you came back compared to the early days? What would you change if you could?
Axel Ritt: I guess this is a question for Chris, but all I can say is that Grave Digger got a permanent development over almost 40 years now, hitting the peak with the actual album. Of course, fans do have different preferences, but Grave Digger has never been that powerful before.
Rock Overdose: Grave Digger always represented traditional metal for years, we see a tension of the big old bands returning with great albums, like the new Judas Priest or Saxon albums for example. How do you see the whole metal scene? Do you like any new bands, or do you stick to the old stuff mainly?
Axel Ritt: Difficult question. To my opinion, from time to time, some great new bands appear on the scene, but not in metal. Not because there are no interesting new bands in metal, but when you’re in the business for such a long time as I am, you’ve heard every tone or note a metal band can create.
You can’t play any faster, harder, wilder, you name it, it all has been already done, so the new bands do have the problem of the late birth, they will always be a copy of somebody else.
The last band, which got a little connection to metal and impressed me were „Animals As Leaders“ because of the concept of two 8-string guitars with drums, but it’s pure progressive stuff, musician’s musician stuff, unbearable for regular music listeners.
Rock Overdose: Once again, a new tour takes place for the band. What is the plan for this tour so far and which places you haven’t been in would you like to visit one day? You’re visiting Greece once more in the end of September, people always had love inside their hearts for you and no one forgets the gigs in 1997 when you first came. What do you remember from your visits to our country?
Axel Ritt: Greece has been always a warm-hearted place for us and Chris has some serious plans to spend the evening of his life in Greece. I myself got Japan and Australia on my touring bucket list.
Rock Overdose: Last but not least, we’d like to thank you for your time in answering our questions. Grave Digger are becoming 40 years old in two years. How much energy do you have in your veins? Do you believe you can remain active for much longer? And if it ends one day, how would you like to be remembered?
Axel Ritt: Well, let’s wait and see. As long as our bodies will do their job, I guess there will be something like 10 more good years for us, maybe more …
For Rock Overdose
Dimitris Aloras
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