Jim Maiden and Rock Overdose had the chance to contact Chris Boltendahl and discuss many and interesting things about Grave Digger. Enjoy...
Rockoverdose: Hello from Greece Chris, I'm Jim, a big fan of Grave Digger since the Heart Of Darkness release and you are one of my childhood icons! It's a great pleasure to have you at Rock Overdose. How are you?
Chris: I´m fine but busy the whole day with a lot of things, promoting the album etc.
Rockoverdose: Let's talk about the new album and first of all I would like to tell me who is responsible for the great artwork of the album and the single? Did you gave him any ideas of your thoughts about how you imagine the cover or it was his inspiration?
Chris: Yes I´m the guy who is responsible for the creative ideas regarding the artworks and booklets ... Gyula is also a fantastic person to work with ... a wired crazy dude... I mean that in an absolute positive way ... sometimes he come up with a lot of weird things ... and I have to bring that all together.
Rockoverdose: Looking at the cover of the new album, at first sight we notice that Ancient Greece is the main theme. We see the reaper as Medusa and from the right we can easily recognize King Leonidas, whose artwork statue is exactly the same with the one that stands in his monument at Thermopylae! We the Greeks, have to be very proud, that a legendary group like Grave Digger give such a gift to us but how would you describe Chris the new album not only to the Grave Digger fans but to every fan that loves this music?
Chris: The album is separated in two parts of ancient Greek mythology ... first part starts with CHARON till CLASH OF THE GODS... we are dealing with the underworld, creatures and Gods. Then there is break with DEATHH ANGEL & THE GRAVE DIGGER ... this is a loose sequel to songs like the Grave Dancer, The Grave Digger, Grave in the no-man’s land 🙂 as you know what I mean... this song has nothing to do with Greece ... and then the second part starts with some songs about the never ending journey of my favorite Greek hero ODYSSEUS...
Rockoverdose: The release of the new album will be 31.08.2012 and the single 27.07.2012.Would you like to describe the atmosphere in the studio during the recordings and if there was any difference with the recordings of the previous album "The Clans Will Rise Again"? Was it more relaxing and felt confidence flowing as this is the second album with Axel Ritt on guitars and the chemistry is better?
Chris: Axel is a part of the band like we all... except me... I´m the boss 🙂 Jens, Axel and I wrote all the songs and I did all the lyrics... We are recording in the same studio now for 17 years so never change a winning team ... the guys there are full of profits and the spirit of them is one with the spirit of Grave Digger. It’s always like coming home when we enter the doors of the studio...
Rockoverdose: As far as I know there will be a video for the song "Home At Last", when will this video be available?
Chris: Good question..., we hope soon 🙂
Rockoverdose: Chris let's go back to 1999 for a while. In an interview of yours about the “Excalibur” album, I remember you saying that when you were about to decide the concept of the successor of the album "Knights Of The Cross", you wanted to make an album about Odysseus and the Trojan War but the band's label at that time was against this idea. You continued saying that someday you will surely make an album about Ancient Greece even if this record will have to be a solo album. We are in 2012 and thirteen years have passed since the release of “Excalibur” and now I'm asking you Chris: Is the new Grave Digger album the long-awaited album that you had said back in 1999?
Chris: I had this idea for a long time now ... I tried to come up with the war of troy in 99 shortly before Lulis left the band. Then I´ve tried to bring it during the Manni Area but he was not interested in it... Now we have Axel and he like topics like that like me ... the same level of interest... so we did it finally.
Rockoverdose: For the next question Chris I'm gonna give you four names: Peter Masson, Uwe Lulis, Manni Schmidt, and Axel Ritt. Four unique guitar players that represent four different periods in the band. Would you mind to tell me about their importance, how much were these guitar players influential to band in their era and in which way?
Chris: Peter Masson ... we sound more like Motörhead on speed during his period 🙂 Uwe Lulis - the classical Metal area of Grave Digger and start of bringing epic stuff into the music. Manni Schmidt - the most experimental and progressive area of the band. Axel Ritt - the back to the roots area starts with him ... bringing the good old Rock and Metal of the 70/80ties to our music again 🙂
Rockoverdose: On August 26th Grave Digger will play a headline show at Chania Rock Festival, a festival that takes place in Crete. Tell me about your thoughts Chris.
Chris: GREAT PLEASURE to play a show on my beloved island and second home... happy also that a lot of my friends there can attend the show!!!
Rockoverdose: Α few days ago a compliment of yours about Greece was posted not only in music pages but also in big news pages. The fans who don't know much about your character were surprised by your simple and human feelings. I know that you love Greece and you have many Greek friends but what do you have to say to those who don't know much about the personality of Chris Boltendahl?
Chris: I´m a freak ... a creative minotaurus... a hercules of metal... and I love GREECE... that’s simple... first time I was there in 89 I felt in love... with my wife and Greece. One of my best shows were in Athens and Saloniki... and I don`t care what people are telling about MY country Greece... I love the people..., the mentality and the history too. The sun and the sea are nowhere better then in Greece ... and I travelled a lot 🙂
Rockoverdose: Last year on April 29th you played in Athens a co-headline show with Rage and we really enjoyed a killer Grave Digger show at Fuzz club in which you completely erased Rage! Will we see Grave Digger in Greece on the forthcoming tour?
Chris: It’s up to the people in Greece ... if they requested us..., we will be back!!! Be sure!!!
Rockoverdose: The end is yours Chris, it was such an honor!
Chris: It was my pleasure and hope to see ya soon...
With Peace & Love
Chris
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