On the one hand, this is comprehensible because Grave Digger did not deliver an outstanding performance. On a positive note, this record is at least concise and consistent with the infamous exception of the terrible ballad plugged in the middle of the release.Īs far as I see, this album has fallen into oblivion. Similar bands like Accept were simply more creative back then while Grave Digger kept things too safe to impress. The record is an improvement over its weak predecessor Witch Hunter but would turn out offering too little too late. War Games is only interesting for avid collectors of the band and unconditional fans of traditional heavy metal. Grave Digger prove such a statement wrong as the group released its greatest efforts in its middle and later years. People often make the mistake to declare the earliest records of certain bands as influential masterpieces. The track sounds mildly amusing instead of evoking the melancholic feeling the band attempted to create. The vocals sound forced and don't blend in at all. Musicianship and lyrics are saccharine and cheesy. Ironically, the worst offender on this album is the only track that truly tries to break out of the usual stereotypical formula in form of the piano ballad ''Love Is Breaking My Heart'' that would foreshadow the adult-oriented rock style on Stronger Than Ever. The gritty and speedy ''Enola Gay (Drop the Bomb)'' and the gloomy ''Fallout'' that seems to rip off an early Metallica ballad have interesting lyrics that contrast the otherwise stereotypical topics awkwardly. ''Paradise'' is the only track from the record that is still played in concert on some occasions and the track convinces at least partially with its epic chorus. ''Fire in Your Eyes'' is one of the few better tracks with audible bass guitar and a few decently employed organ sounds in the background.
War Games consists of short upper mid-tempo heavy metal songs that often fail to leave an impression as they pass by without being outstanding in any way. War Games was the third and last release of the band's early years before the quartet would change its name to Digger and release the mellower Stronger Than Ever record in a failed attempt at making a commercial international breakthrough. Those are the reasons why the band didn't truly take off in its early years and would end up splitting up to come back stronger than ever. It's tough to believe that iconic heavy metal veterans Grave Digger that have released charismatic, creative and groundbreaking records throughout the nineties and early years of the new millennium were once a rather exchangeable heavy metal band with stereotypical lyrics and bland musicianship.