Liberty or Death (album)

Liberty or Death

Studio album by Grave Digger

Released

January 12, 2007

Recorded

Principal Studios, Germany

Length

56:48

Chris Boltendahl, Manni Schmidt & Jörg Umbreit

25 to Live
(2005)

Liberty or Death
(2007)

Ballads of a Hangman
(2009)

Liberty or Death is Grave Digger's 13th studio album. It was released on January 12, 2007 by Locomotive Records.

Track listing

All songs composed & arranged by Boltendahl/Becker/Schmidt & Katzenburg; all lyrics by Boltendahl

The Digipak-version includes the bonus track "Ship of Hope"

Vocalist Chris Boltendahl was inspired with this album by the book named "Liberty Or Death" by the Cretean writer Nikos Kazantzakis, whose title is the English translation of Eleftheria i thanatos. The book directly inspired the title song about the Greek revolution on Crete, with lyrical references to the Greek national anthem.

Two songs deal with Germany's treatment of the Jews in the Second World War and a further two more about more Ancient Jewish history. "Ocean of Blood" tells of Moses parting the Red Sea and "Massada" tells of the siege of Masada at the end of the First Jewish-Roman War. "March of the Innocent" is about the Holocaust and "Ship of Hope" tells of the "Voyage of the Damned" of the SS St. Louis. Boltendahl said that the number of songs on this subject was not intended, but that the stories were interesting on their own.

"Highland Tears" deals with freedom in Scotland. "Forecourt to Hell" deals with the gladiators in the Roman Empire age. "The Terrible One" is about Ivan the Terrible. "Until the Last King Died" is about the French Revolution. "Shadowland" is about the atrocities of the Ku Klux Klan in the USA.

Grave Digger

Chris Boltendahl Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt Jens Becker Stefan Arnold Hans Peter "H.P." Katzenburg

Studio albums	Heavy Metal Breakdown Witch Hunter War Games Stronger than Ever (as Digger) The Reaper Symphony of Death Heart of Darkness Tunes of War Knights of the Cross Excalibur The Grave Digger Rheingold The Last Supper Liberty or Death Ballads of a Hangman The Clans Will Rise Again Clash of the Gods Return of the Reaper

Live albums	Tunes of Wacken 25 to Live The Clans Are Still Marching

EPs / Singles	"Six-Track-Demo" "Born Again" (Demo) "Shoot Her Down" "Return of the Reaper" (Demo) "For Promotion Only" (Demo) "Symphony of Death" "Rebellion" "The Dark of the Sun" "The Battle of Bannockburn" "The Round Table (Forever)" "Yesterday" "Rheingold" "Silent Revolution" "Pray" "Ballad Of A Hangman" "Ballad Of Mary" "Home At Last"

Compilations	The Best of the Eighties Die Definitive Biografie (book) The History - Part One Masterpieces - Best Of Album Lost Tunes from the Vault