Customer Reviews

Last Supper

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE LAST SUPPER follows Grave Digger's tradition of historical concept albums in grand fashion. Much like "The Passion of the Christ", GD focus on telling the story brutal story of the death of Christ. They waver between the perspective of both heaven & hell throughout--this is neither Deicide nor Stryper, but somewhere inbetween, which is probably where the truth lies anyway. The same can be said of not just the lyrics, but the actual music, too. "The Last Supper" is both uplifting and celebratory in its destruction. The final track is elegaic, sad.

Some standout tracks are the epic "Crucified" and "Desert Rose", which I favor just because they crunch more than most. There are only a couple of slow songs here, though; most tunes chug right along quick-like. Honestly, there isn't one weak song in the bunch. Even the 2 bonus songs, "Sleepless" and "Jeepers Creepers" are strong. This band really emphasizes consistency, whether in writing awesome riffs or the conceptual model. Even the cover is sick. The only silliness, as said in other reviews here, is that GD stumble with the lyrics a little. Given the grandiosity of the subject they're tackling, however, it's an acceptable caveat.

Although the reviews will focus on the story of The Passion, what should be emphasized above all is that this German metal band kicks much a$$. Chris Boltendahl, unlike the vocalist other conceptual power metal bands like Blind Guardian, sings in a low, thrashy growl. This keeps the proceedings from getting too cheesy.

Overall, a pleasant surprise. If you like Maiden, this band is almost as good.

I'd say overall it's got some really bitchin' tunes and it also has some excellent musicianship alone the way. The theme is the typical stuff for most metal bands. You know, good versus evil etc etc! It has what we've come to expect from good metal bands and that's power, passion, speed, texture and of course groove and or melody. It's all hear folks. The production is very well done with all the instruments being heard and not just imagined or felt.

The vocals took me a while to get used to, but it's much better than the growling most singers do today. At least you can understand this guy and his delivery is actual pretty cool!

If you like bands with some sense of direction?, you'll probably like this.

My goodness when i saw only one review for this album i thought, that's a shame! This is a good heavy metal album!! With if anything the best possible theme for an album if not the most ironic and controversial in the eyes of our christian critics. Look personally i'm not religious and even if i was this album isn't offensive. Passion of the Christ is more offensive than this! But don't get me started on that hypocrisy of a movie.

Onto the album then. The Last Supper obviously has an ongoing theme of religion and has many references to Judas, Jesus and other symbolic points of the bible. The title track is actually the best track on this album, it's the whole reason i bought it anyway. The song comes off as quite serious with lines like "The liar sits right by my side/His eyes are full of fear and pride" and "Remember me/And love can be" the latter lines are sung just before the true climax of the song which is the heart piercing solo. The song has a very catchy chorus and i'm sure you will be singing "IT'S MY LAST SUPPER!" as quickly as i was in the fashion of Chris Boltendahl's coarse voice. The song as can be told by now tells the story of the last supper but also gives us insight into the feelings of Jesus and IMO it is told wonderfully. Hey even if you ain't religious the last supper is a pretty damn good story, give it that! The riff is also great in this song not to mention that chilling piano intro.

Other standout tracks are 'Desert Rose','Hell to Pay','Soul Saviour','Divided Cross','The Night Before','Black Widows'and 'Hundred Days'. They all have their own strongpoints with great riffs solos, lyrics and drumming. The ballads'Crucified' and 'Always and Eternally' are OK tracks but don't really stick in my mind because for one they come off as a bit pretentious i mean just look at the song titles, cliched or what?

The thing i noticed with all the songs is that they have this epic quality to them. Maybe that's due to the 'larger than life' story but i think it's the way Grave Digger deliver it to us in great style. The artwork on this album is very good as well. On the inside there are some really cool symbolic drawings of bread with worms crawling in it, a bloodied chalice, a crucified man (not sure if it actually is jesus) shown from behind (that's why lol), the Grim Reaper or 'Grave Digger' on a boat(is that their mascot like Eddie and Vic) and a hand with a nail through it. All poignant images to help enhance the story.

Look the bottom line is don't shun this album because of its subject matter (believe me i was gonna) because it is actually a very good album. Sure Chris' harsh vocals might not be to your taste but atleast it's something new and refreshing to the sort of prog and power metal scene. That leads to one more thing i DO NOT KNOW how to categorize this. It's basically just heavy metal but a bit slower and faster in places with a power metal feel to it. Lets just call it Modern Heavy Metal, after all it has all the great qualities, the licks, solos, pounding riffs and controversial subject matter and just adds a modern twist of lemon to it lol! But seriously this album is one of the best metal albums released in recent times so do yourself a favour and just check it out! Hope that was helpful.

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In this album, Germany-based Grave Digger has successfully conveyed a mesmerizing melody through raw reefs and powerful beats. This "metal opera" tells a story of Christ, from The Last Supper to his crucifixion. The vocalist menages to insert deep emotions into his low and growling voice despite the unremarkable lyrics. The pair of guitars complete each other and the keyboards, although little heard, are still felt throughout the songs. The album starts with "Passion", which is a keyboard-only melody, which switches to "The Last Supper", the solid title song. "The Last Supper" is then followed by "Desert Rose", a driving song with an impressive reef which repeats all throughout. Then, "Grave In The No Mans Land" is one of my favourite songs on this album. The chorus has the best use of echo I've heard in ages. The next song, "Hell to Pay" has a mighty speed-metal intro. It's a great song, especially the solos after 2:40 minutes. "Soul Savior" reminds me a lot of Iron Maiden's "Aces High". It has a rhythm to die for! It's my second favourite song of the album. "Crucified" reminds me a lot of Iced Earth. At 7 minutes, it is the longest track on the album. The song is a slow lyrical ballad which is well inserted to counter the heavier "Divided Cross", a more melodic song. "The Night Before" is a rather good song. There isn't much more to say about it. "Black Windows"' lengthy intro into a storm of screaming solo guitar and methodical rhythm would please any true metal fan. "Hundred Days" is by most instrumental. It shows Peter Masson's and Willi Lackman's talent as the song changes tempo, and undulates in a complex pattern. "Always and Eternally" is another ballad with dominating keyboards. It serves of a conclusion to the CD, the last song before the two bonus tracks. Both "Sleepless" and "Jeepers Creepers" remind me of AC/DC as far as the guitars go. They are good additions to the album without being exceptional. To conclude, this 60 minute album is well worth it's price.If you like Iron Maiden and Saxon, dig in (pun intended)!

wwooww, Grave Digger shock me up with this material, one of the best albums I ever heard, the riffs, the voice, the lyrics, the whole album is amazing, I recommend this album 100%

This cd is one that is bittersweet for me. There are some pretty good songs with some great riffs, however, the vocals on this album are some of the worst I have heard. With a different singer (and maybe a different name) the band would be much more popular I believe.

[...].

I'm a huge Grave Digger fan and this is their best effort to date. These guys are simply getting better and better. They've been around for a long time and most bands that are around this long start to fade with time. Not these guys.

This is the same thing I thought about their last album and yet they've surprised me again. Can't wait for the next one.

If you are a metal fan and you don't have this album, GET IT.