Heavy History – Difficult History. Scottish National Myths and History Interpreted by a German Heavy Metal Band

German heavy/power metal band Grave Digger, whose leader is fond of history, published two concept albums around Scottland: “Tunes of War” (1996) and “The Clans Will Rise Again” (2010). They also recorded a live CD and DVD “The Clans Are Still Marching” (2011) and had Scottish themes present on other albums. How powerful is the Scottish brand that it inspires a band in another country to pay so much attention to the history of the nation? Is the image of clan history stereotypical, like usually in popular culture, or surprisingly far from it? Selected lyrics will be analysed in order to answer these questions.