Gravestone

A

part of the mid-eighties German power metal scene, Gravestone, originally started as a progressive rock band then turned to heavy metal, much in the style of Stormwitch and Cutty Sark (not the booze), that released a few albums, enough to make a minor name for themselves but not enough to gain worldwide fame. Indeed, their only claim to fame would be that they were the band that gave rise to the future UDO guitarist Mathias Dieth.

With the membership of Berti Majdan (vocals), Mathias Dieth (guitar), Klaus Reinelt (guitar), Oli Orlitta (bass) and Dieter Behle (drums) they would release their debut, Doomsday (1979), War (1980) followed. Victim of Chains came in 1984 before bassist Thomas Sabisch replaced Orlitta for their follow-up albums of Back to Attack (1985) and Creating a Monster (1986) before breaking up. Their final set, a "best of...", The Best of Gravestone followed posthumously in 1993. Several of the band members continued the band under the name 48 Crash. Between 1975 and 1977 an original incarnation went under the names Heizkörper, Oregon. A reformation of Gravestone would be attempted in 2019.