Helping to put power metal on the map in the mid '80s, Grave Digger continue to crank out galloping odes to kings, queens, witches and warlocks. Chris Boltendahl is one of the genre's more unorthodox vocalists, spewing a thrashy snarl rather than an operatic cry. His vocals give a down and dirty quality to their songs, especially “Excalibur”, a turbocharged epic about King Arthur, and the superbly frenzied “Heavy Metal Breakdown”. The band's theatrical flair has grown more potent with time: “Highland Farewell”, from 2010, features scorching riffs intertwined with Scottish bagpipes.