Live report GRAVE DIGGER, VICTORY & RIGORIOUS, Markthalle, Hamburg – January 24th, 2025

Hamburg’s Markthalle will be the venue for three German metal bands tonight. It is heavy metal veterans Grave Digger and the revived Victory, who are currently on the road, with Rigorious as the opening act on this leg of the tour.

Rigorious is a relatively new band, formed in 2021. With two released longplayers the guys already have a solid portfolio of songs to choose from for tonight’s setlist. Obviously it is a big deal for the five-piece from North Rhine-Westphalia to be on this journey, because they have a lot of fun being on stage. Rigorously play, in a broader sense, some power metal and even though their music doesn’t have the big wow moments, the crowd in front of the stage appreciates the effort.

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Things change a bit when Victory enters the stage. After a really short stage change, Herman Frank and his bandmates deliver a blistering set. It is a sublime rock/metal show that the band provides with a selection of songs that cover all eras of the German metal pioneers.

We start with a classic from the “Temples of Gold” album. “Rock The Neighbors” is a brilliant opening to a 45 minute set. After such a great start it is one of the newer songs of the band that keeps the temperature high in the Markthalle. “Gods Of Tomorrow” is next and shows the seamless consistency of Victory songs, no matter in which time period the songs were written. The new material like “Tonight We Rock” is as strong as the up-tempo “Standing Like a Rock” from 1990. “Tonight We Rock” could be the theme of the show, because these guys really rock.

Like a well oiled motor Victory generates energy and it’s songs like “Are You Ready” that are celebrated by the fans loudly and also “Temple of Gold” is sung by the fans.

With “Check’s in the Mail” it’s one of the best songs to end the show and the fans could have easily handled more. “We want more”, that’s what’s resonating in the room, but a tight running order doesn’t allow for more. What we can conclude though is that Victory are back with a great album and a lot of power on stage. Victory in 2025 – a force to be reckoned with.

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After such an energetic show, the bar is set high for Grave Digger. Chris Boltendahl and band kick off their 90 minute show with “Kingdom of Skulls”. Grave Digger have all the aces on their side as they deliver a set that covers all phases of the band. With three songs the latest album “Bone Collector” is a main deliverer tonight and the same goes for the quite successful “Tunes of War” longplayer. Especially “Rebellion (The Clans are Marching)” is a highlight and gets the loudest fan chant. There is a great atmosphere in the room and it shows how solid and loyal the Grave Digger fanbase is. The crowd is rewarded with a roaring version of “Excalibur” but also “Back to the Roots” is well received by the fans. The song marks Grave Digger’s return to heavy metal after a brief stint in mainstream rock in the late 80s as Digger.

Tonight’s setlist also includes songs that aren’t played too often, like “The Keep of the Holy Grail,” which hasn’t been performed live since 1999.

Besides the music there is also some storytelling, like Chris Boltendahl’s story about knocking on Rob Halford’s shoes when the bandleader was a kid in the front row during the early days of Judas Priest. But the frontman also shows his appreciation for the fans when he makes a short trip through the pit during “The Round Table” to shake some hands.

Some classics are saved for the end of the show with “Heavy Metal Breakdown” being the closer of a set that demonstrated why Grave Digger have been successful for many decades. It’s straightforward heavy metal performed with passion and dedication. It is handcrafted music without frills that filled the room for over 90 minutes and what could be better news than the new album entering the German charts at #13 the same day.