Three years after his debut album, GRAVEDGR returns with an updated sound to wreak havoc and drag souls into the AFTERLIFE.
More than five years ago, a masked entity known as GRAVEDGR exploded onto the scene to begin a reign of terror that nobody saw coming. With every release, his evil aura grew until the dance music world submitted to his chokehold. The shadowy figure brought a haunting experience everywhere he went, culminating in an epic debut album, 6 FEET UNDER.
6 FEET UNDER fully introduced GRAVEDGR to the world, showcasing his ability to create murderous music that pushed the limits of hard dance music at the time. Met with critical acclaim, he proved to be one of the first artists of his era to combine storytelling with hard dance music, creating an undeniable star that the scene could rally behind and push to the moon. Championing the raw trap sound, GRAVEDGR breathed life — or death — into his unique sound and influenced many others to follow in his footsteps.
After bringing chaos and destruction to the scene with 6 FEET UNDER, GRAVEDGR made his way back into the shadows to regroup and plan the next step of his disturbing journey. The years following his debut album brought many insane records, but they ultimately didn’t dominate and put the scene in his hands the way his first run did. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist, however.
In early 2023, GRAVEDGR returned to take over a new sound as he presented the scene with WALKING THROUGH MY CEMETERY VOL. IV (HARD TECHNO EDITION). At first, it marked a new creative avenue for the man in the mask, but it’s blossomed into his newfound path of destruction. Now conquering the hard techno scene on his home turf and beyond, GRAVEDGR is finally ready to unleash his latest 13-track album, AFTERLIFE.
Stream GRAVEDGR – Afterlife on Spotify:
AFTERLIFE encompasses the theme of religion, beginning with an eerie intro, “LA VIDA ETERNA.”
Religion isn’t a new theme within GRAVEDGR’s universe as his debut album heavily focused on a man asking God for forgiveness after going on a murderous rampage filled with death and destruction. The intro to AFTERLIFE continues this theme with “LA VIDA ETERNA,” in which an eerie voice recites the Bible verse John 3:16 in Spanish. What’s traditionally comforting gets completely flipped upside down and provides an uneasy, chilling feeling. This theme is present throughout the rest of the album, but “HEAVENLY FATHER” is the perfect example of taking religion and successfully creating horror out of it.
Throughout the rest of the album, fans can find familiar tunes like “I’VE BEEN ON THIS ROAD,” “AFTERLIFE,” and “BLOOD RAVE.” Among these is a fan-favorite record that has been destroying festival stages all over the world, “LIKE A SLUT.” Needless to say, all of these records encompass different aspects of GRAVEDGR’s new style that focuses on hard techno with a hard dance twist.
AFTERLIFE tells a cold-blooded story with “WHAT WE DO,” “YOU WILL DIE,” and “PURGATORY.”
The first record calls attention to the struggle of life, stating, “Yeah, we’ve been through it / Yeah, we live through this / This is what we do / Call this trench music.” On the next track, GRAVEDGR prepares listeners for death with sinister vocals, dark kicks, and trippy basslines. After meeting an unfortunate end, listeners are transported to “PURGATORY,” a stop for souls who are atoning for their sins before going to hell.
Apart from his immaculate storytelling, GRAVEDGR also throws in amusing records like “JUGGERNAUT,” a little Easter egg for the gamers and fans of GRAVEDGR’s Twitch streams. Sampling an angry, irritated gamer playing Call of Duty, this tune takes it back to the roots with drifting screeches, reverse bass, and a tiny dose of laser kicks for good measure. AFTERLIFE also sees GRAVEDGR team up with Clawz for the very first time on “RAVEYARD.” Combining reverse bass with acid basslines, this tune will get any party started.
Of course, this album wouldn’t be complete without some old friends. AFTERLIFE marked the return of GRAVEKID by completing the trilogy between GRAVEDGR and Junkie Kid with “SAVE ME.” Both artists’ styles are prevalent in this record without overshadowing one another, creating a record that seamlessly flows between hard techno and hard dance.
The best is saved for last as Milano The Don provides the vocals for “PRIESTS.”
Although this is the first time these two collaborate in this current era, they’re no strangers — and their chemistry instantly shines when fans hear “All rise for the devil in disguise” in “PRIESTS.” Milano The Don‘s unmistakable voice flows above unsettling horns, monstrous screeches, and techno hi-hats. GRAVEDGR and Milano The Don take fans back to a time when American Hard Dance was all about innovation. But now, this record reflects their growth and maturity as artists with clear direction and a banging idea executed perfectly.
After a full listen, there’s no doubt that the GRAVEDGR of old has returned. Admittedly, it was extremely difficult to top his first run with 6 FEET UNDER, but this album was worth the wait. It’s easy to tell that GRAVEDGR took his time to master the hard techno sound while delivering something fresh instead of a carbon copy. Of course, GRAVEDGR made his mark on the sounds of hard dance, but this evolution of the project was necessary to continue his story and redefine American Hard Dance once again.
Listen to AFTERLIFE by GRAVEDGR on Spotify or your preferred platform, and let us know what you think of the album on X (formerly Twitter)!
Stream GRAVEDGR – AFTERLIFE on Spotify:
GRAVEDGR – AFTERLIFE – Tracklist:
- LA VIDA ETERNA – INTRO
- I’VE BEEN ON THIS ROAD
- AFTERLIFE
- LIKE A SLUT
- WHAT WE DO
- YOU WILL DIE
- PURGATORY
- JUGGERNAUT with Vieze Asbak
- SAVE ME with Junkie Kid
- RAVEYARD with Clawz
- BLOOD RAVE
- HEAVENLY FATHER
- PRIESTS with Milano The Don
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