The vast landscape of heavy metal is a very interesting one to me as it is as timeless as it is constantly evolving to become something much deadlier while still trying to emulate the legends that have been going for decades since the sound’s inception. Anybody would be remiss to not count Grave Digger as one of the classic acts that are still enabling the style to stand strong after so long. After forty years and twenty full-length albums, it would not be controversial to think that Grave Digger could be on their way out, but “Fields of Blood” is a strong argument to the contrary.

There can very easily be a stigma against stripped-down heavy metal because of how amazingly basic it is in every form and how “easy” it could be to pull it off if you can follow the formula half decently, but you still need to bring the proper attitude to the table that not many can get the right handle on. For forty years now, Grave Digger has been showing the world just exactly how it’s done across a ridiculous number of albums that are always causing a stir in the style no matter how long it has been since the last piece of material from the band, and “Fields of Blood” should prove to be no different. Returning to a Scottish flair that they’ve performed before, there isn’t much about this album that isn’t classic Grave Digger. We’re given an absolute menagerie of riffs, essential heavy metal approach to everything, more use out of bagpipes than I’ve seen at a Scottish game festival, and such quality that makes you eat it right up should you be even the slightest fan of anything heavy metal. “Fields of Blood” achieves everything it set out to do in just the first few songs to make the rest of the twelve-song album nothing to scoff at whatsoever as Grave Digger shows us yet again how it’s done.

It’s the epitome of “simple but effective” for the heavy metal world, and it’s clear here that Grave Digger still has more than enough passion, fuel, and talent to keep their magnificent streak going for quite some time. How long that will be is anybody’s guess, and “Fields of Blood” is an all-the-sweeter album because of it.

“Fields of Blood” releases on May 29th via Napalm Records!

LISTEN to singles from “Fields of Blood” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Grave Digger on Facebook here.