Digger "Stronger Than Ever (Unofficial Release, Noise Records (Fake), N 0052-2)"

Grave Digger is a German heavy metal band that was first formed in 1980 by Chris Boltendahl and Peter Masson.

After various appearances at small festivals, the band recorded two songs for the compilation album Rock from Hell in 1983 back when they were so called "Digger". A year later, Grave Digger, now comprising Chris Boltendahl (vocals), Peter Masson (guitar), Willi Lackmann (bass) and Albert Eckardt (drums), released their debut album Heavy Metal Breakdown.

In 1987 the band's name was changed to Digger, the name under which they released the album Stronger Than Ever. The album flopped, as it was not accepted by fans or the masses. As a result, Boltendahl declared at the end of 1987, the breakup of the band.

Stronger Than Ever is the fourth studio album by the German heavy metal band Grave Digger. However, they changed their name to just "Digger" for this release. Retrospect Records, a little-known record label, very briefly issued a re-release of the album on CD in 2005. The CD was released with presumably no involvement from the band and is considered a bootleg. The CD is no longer available and the only official versions of the album that were released by the band are the vinyl and cassette versions. To this day it remains the only album in Grave Digger's catalog to not receive an official CD release. "Shadows of the Past" borrows two lyrical lines from "Yesterday", a song released on their 1984 album Heavy Metal Breakdown.

Track listing

1. Wanna Get Close 04:35   
2. Don't Leave Me Lonely 04:21
3. Stronger than Ever 04:34  
4. Moonriders 03:46   
5. Lay It On 03:04  
6. I Don't Need Your Love 04:21   
7. Listen to the Music 03:51
8. Stay till the Morning 03:53
9. Stand Up and Rock 03:59  
10. Shadows of the Past 02:45

Total length: 39:09

The 1987 cassette release contains an exclusive untitled intro before "Shadows of the Past", which is not listed

The track listing is erroneously printed on the back cover as:

• Stand Up and Rock
• Wanna Get Close
• Lay It On
• Don't Leave Me Lonely
• Stronger than Ever
• I Don't Need Your Love
• Moonriders
• Stay till the Morning
• Listen to the Music
• Shadows of the Past

The correct order is featured above

Recording information:

- Issued with eight page lyric booklet.

- Cat# N 0052 on rear insert, cat# N0052-2 on disc.

- Recorded and mixed from September-October 1986 at Ege Sound Studio.

- Digitally transferred from the 1987 vinyl pressing using Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge.