BATHORY´ZINE: EAR DANGER – "STILL GOING STRONG"

Sunday, March 20, 2022

EAR DANGER – "STILL GOING STRONG"

EAR DANGER – STILL GOING STRONG (40 years of Ear Danger)
Release date: April 9th, 2022

Building a time machine...

It’s not the first thing that springs to mind when we talk about a heavy-metal band’s ambitions.
Still, this is what we had in mind to commemorate the fact that Ear Danger was founded no less
than 40 years ago.

It was in 1981 when Dick Vijgen (drums, then 18 years old) and Matt Verschoor (bass, then 17
years old) went into the studio with Ear Danger to record their second, more or less iconic demo.
At that point in time, it was just a demo to them, made to get live gigs and it would have helped
them, if they hadn’t been forced to fire the singer and one of the guitar players just a couple of
months later.

That demo, however, rose to fame through massive tape-trading and can still be found back on
different locations on the internet.

Looking back at the recording process, it was nothing short of a miracle that it turned out so
well. The studio they chose had no experience with heavy metal whatsoever, the band had
hardly any recording experience and relations within the band were already starting to
deteriorate.

From the moment Ear Danger started up again in 2007, we have been approached by quite a few
people who would have liked to release this demo, along with the following demo, on CD. The answer has always been no. Why? Simply, because there is no reason. They can be found on the internet, so those who’d like to listen to them can download the tracks.

Having said that, our 40th birthday inspired us to combine past and present in the best possible
way. What if the 1981 demo could be recreated with the current line-up and modern day
equipment, but without losing the characteristics of the old-school ‘80s production and sound,
like a sort of musical time-machine?

Just as thrilled were Headbangers Records and Big Bad Wolf Records, who were more than
willing to participate in the project and who will take a leading role in the distribution of the
album.

Just as in 1981 the tracks are “Beelzebub’s Friend”, “Give’em Hell”, “You Need Warmth” and the
ballad “Still Going strong”.This track is recorded as “Winterfest Edition”, referring to the day that
Ear Danger played the Heavy Metal Maniacs Winterfest. Already during the soundcheck, Sander
blew up the vocal speakers with a huge scream, leaving us with no option but doing some songs
instrumental, while the audience chanted the choruses and some songs acoustic. Which was the
case with the ballad “Still Going Strong”.

The B-side of the album features the 2018 EP “Storming The Gates”, which has not been released
on vinyl yet.

Ear Danger is currently preparing recordings for their next album. Although all tracks have been
written, there again, COVID forced us to slow down.

The album “Still Going Strong” – 40 years of Ear Danger is planned for April 2022.