CHRIS BOLTENDAHL of GRAVE DIGGER (Audio Interview)

Yet another Sweden Rock Festival has come and gone, and no doubt attendees took home memories that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Over the course of the four-day celebration, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with several of the event’s performers. In one of my recent stories, I covered my revealing talk with Brian Vollmer of Helix. For my second interview, I was afforded the opportunity to meet with Chris Boltendahl, lead vocalist and founding member of Grave Digger.

I first saw the band back in 2015, opening for Blind Guardian at their Toronto show. Impressed by their performance, I have been looking forward to seeing them again ever since.

Before his set, singer Boltendahl graciously allowed me, joined by fellow Decibel Geek writer/interviewer, Mikael Svensson, to sit down for some questions. We covered everything from their most current release, Healed by Metal, to the scariest on-stage moment he’s ever experienced over their glorious 37-year history.

As if to usher in their arrival, rain commenced just moments before Grave Digger took to the stage. I was able to brave the inclement conditions for about four songs before it became apparent that I ought to seek cover. Though I opted to admire the band from afar, a few thousand of their die-hard fans were undeterred by the challenging elements and offered their idols enthusiastic cheers as they tore through their 12 song set.

The majority of their performance focused on established fan favorites, but I was personally delighted that Chris and his bandmates chose to include three tracks from their recent offering, Healed By Metal. Judging from the reaction of the fans I think it’s safe to say that it was the perfect mix of old material versus new.

Below you can listen to the 15-minute audio interview. Please accept our apologies for the background noise as the media tent was quite busy at the time that we met with Chris.

Shawn “Animalize” Irwin

Healed By Metal Album Review / Exhumation – The Early Years Album Review