--- title: "Grave Digger" type: "MusicGroup" url: "https://themetalnet.com/band/grave-digger" genre: "Heavy Metal" country: "Germany" formed: 1980 --- # Grave Digger **Grave Digger** is a heavy metal band, from Germany, active 1980 to present. Grave Digger is a German heavy metal band that was first formed in 1980 by Chris Boltendahl and Peter Masson. Emerging from the 1980s German heavy/power/speed metal scene, they are considered part of the scene's "big four" alongside Helloween, Rage and Running Wild. Biography source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_Digger_(band) ## Facts | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Name | Grave Digger | | Genre | Heavy Metal | | Parent genre | Heavy Metal | | Origin | Gladbeck, Germany | | Formed | 1980 | | Releases in catalog | 31 | ## Genres [Heavy Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/heavy-metal) · [Power Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/power-metal) · [Speed Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/speed-metal) · [Thrash Metal](https://themetalnet.com/genre/thrash-metal) ## Line-up | Musician | Instruments | Years | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Jens Becker](https://themetalnet.com/musician/jens-becker) | | 1997 to present | Current | | [Axel Ritt](https://themetalnet.com/musician/axel-ritt) | | 2009 to present | Current | | [Chris Boltendahl](https://themetalnet.com/musician/chris-boltendahl) | | 1980 to present | Current | | [Manni Schmidt](https://themetalnet.com/musician/manni-schmidt) | | 2001 to present | Current | | [Uwe Lulis](https://themetalnet.com/musician/uwe-lulis) | | | Current | | [Marcus Kniep](https://themetalnet.com/musician/marcus-kniep) | Keyboard, Drums (drum set) | 2014 to present | Current | | [Jörg Michael](https://themetalnet.com/musician/jorg-michael) | | 1993 to 1994 | Former | | [Thilo Herrmann](https://themetalnet.com/musician/thilo-herrmann) | Electric guitar | 2007 to 2009 | Former | | [Frank Ulrich](https://themetalnet.com/musician/frank-ulrich) | | 1994 to 1995 | Former | | [Thomas Göttlich](https://themetalnet.com/musician/thomas-gottlich) | | 1991 to 1997 | Former | | [Albert Eckardt](https://themetalnet.com/musician/albert-eckardt) | | 1983 to 1986 | Former | | [Chris F. Brank](https://themetalnet.com/musician/chris-f-brank) | | 1985 to 1986 | Former | | [Hans Peter Katzenburg](https://themetalnet.com/musician/hans-peter-katzenburg) | Keyboard | 1997 to 2014 | Former | | [Stefan Arnold](https://themetalnet.com/musician/stefan-arnold) | Drums (drum set) | 1996 to 2018 | Former | | [Willi Lackmann](https://themetalnet.com/musician/willi-lackmann) | | 1983 to 1984 | Former | ## Discography | Year | Release | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 1984 | [Heavy Metal Breakdown](https://themetalnet.com/album/64e5412d-61a2-392b-b96b-1547b09efa9f) | Album | | 1985 | [Witch Hunter](https://themetalnet.com/album/291849d0-a664-3561-9d29-242fd2410c38) | Album | | 1986 | [Stronger Than Ever](https://themetalnet.com/album/f8311079-af1a-446d-9d5d-f4ca2434de7b) | Album | | 1986 | [War Games](https://themetalnet.com/album/a8e8346b-4d18-3b1e-aa2c-83e407790b35) | Album | | 1992 | [For Promotion Only!!](https://themetalnet.com/album/b3bfbc92-9a50-342b-8f88-cf9ccb54bba8) | EP | | 1993 | [Symphony of Death](https://themetalnet.com/album/a0a3a7ab-f182-3edb-b8ca-e1f626a0f663) | EP | | 1993 | [The Reaper](https://themetalnet.com/album/948c10c3-7997-3394-bb43-5be61d6b0752) | Album | | 1995 | [Heart of Darkness](https://themetalnet.com/album/d702595c-500e-339d-9773-f0d5f4ebf6be) | Album | | 1996 | [Tunes of War](https://themetalnet.com/album/a5aeb833-42e7-3ba3-9241-828a96953043) | Album | | 1997 | [The Dark of the Sun](https://themetalnet.com/album/c7b952fd-0076-4afb-9428-3db3c9f00cb0) | EP | | 1998 | [Knights of the Cross](https://themetalnet.com/album/b66030be-8633-3ad1-bf10-e9a0e4c9a256) | Album | | 1999 | [Excalibur](https://themetalnet.com/album/5e6710b5-024a-3ab8-84c0-3a65e4fe3d83) | Album | | 2001 | [The Grave Digger](https://themetalnet.com/album/a8ff8972-b68c-3c33-8f36-1042038ccf84) | Album | | 2002 | [The History - Part 1](https://themetalnet.com/album/9dd73bcd-6d9c-4e7c-ae53-35e0c174ff67) | Album | | 2003 | [Rheingold](https://themetalnet.com/album/8349bf35-afa1-38b2-afe9-d576d962d0c5) | Album | | 2005 | [The Last Supper](https://themetalnet.com/album/5d345acc-187a-31e7-b781-e21dd93e6962) | Album | | 2006 | [Yesterday](https://themetalnet.com/album/f248c36c-b078-3351-b39d-7a97f46b62fb) | EP | | 2007 | [Liberty or Death](https://themetalnet.com/album/ba890dbe-d00f-3261-8988-61a02e4677d8) | Album | | 2008 | [Pray](https://themetalnet.com/album/b5203627-728c-34b1-aa9e-914aef916363) | EP | | 2009 | [Ballads of a Hangman](https://themetalnet.com/album/61263257-80b4-3fe6-86cb-a06bcba7d2d9) | Album | | 2010 | [The Clans Will Rise Again](https://themetalnet.com/album/21494cb8-ae7d-4238-807c-46888e3bcf76) | Album | | 2011 | [Ballad of Mary](https://themetalnet.com/album/e92a5e54-5145-4bd6-a803-d683efb86c85) | EP | | 2012 | [Clash of the Gods](https://themetalnet.com/album/a8e62f29-baa8-4a02-a6bb-04d849107ae5) | Album | | 2012 | [Home at Last](https://themetalnet.com/album/fd74e016-20fa-4600-a2c1-e76bb76c4c49) | EP | | 2014 | [Return of the Reaper](https://themetalnet.com/album/fe8f96a5-b343-48ab-8efe-8a0dfdb205e4) | Album | | 2015 | [Exhumation (The Early Years)](https://themetalnet.com/album/971a1e09-3468-4103-ab1c-d06b5373d830) | Album | | 2017 | [Healed by Metal](https://themetalnet.com/album/6d7805d2-cefe-42b0-8fea-e3180944bba7) | Album | | 2018 | [The Living Dead](https://themetalnet.com/album/6aa12a08-113c-4684-ae14-c656acaa5289) | Album | | 2020 | [Fields of Blood](https://themetalnet.com/album/60b77263-dadd-43f0-b1f3-2f216f3f6b84) | Album | | 2022 | [Symbol of Eternity](https://themetalnet.com/album/4bda23a5-a230-4244-8060-3b27288a0298) | Album | | 2025 | [Bone Collector](https://themetalnet.com/album/918680b2-4ba5-4f7e-8745-d05162536dc2) | Album | ## Related bands - [Helloween](https://themetalnet.com/band/helloween) (listened together) - [Iron Maiden](https://themetalnet.com/band/iron-maiden) (listened together) - [Blind Guardian](https://themetalnet.com/band/blind-guardian) (listened together) - [HammerFall](https://themetalnet.com/band/hammerfall) (listened together) - [Iced Earth](https://themetalnet.com/band/iced-earth) (listened together) - [Gamma Ray](https://themetalnet.com/band/gamma-ray) (listened together) - [Manowar](https://themetalnet.com/band/manowar) (listened together) - [Primal Fear](https://themetalnet.com/band/primal-fear) (listened together) - [Accept](https://themetalnet.com/band/accept) (listened together) - [Stratovarius](https://themetalnet.com/band/stratovarius) (listened together) - [Sonata Arctica](https://themetalnet.com/band/sonata-arctica) (listened together) - [Sabaton](https://themetalnet.com/band/sabaton) (listened together) ## Official and external links - deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/3798 - instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gravediggerband/ - apple music: https://music.apple.com/de/artist/17270887 - website: https://www.grave-digger.de/ - metal archives: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Grave_Digger/391 - facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gravediggerofficial - x: https://twitter.com/GRAVEDIGGERclan - spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6mfghV4I1CD17FOhDKq7cJ - bandcamp: https://gravedigger.bandcamp.com/ - youtube: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCo8IuNkx9PS8MswirsKtZpQ --- Source: [TheMetalNet https://themetalnet.com/band/grave-digger](https://themetalnet.com/band/grave-digger). Catalog data from MusicBrainz and Metal Archives. Full site index: https://themetalnet.com/llms.txt