To commemorate their upcoming 40^th anniversary as a band and the 35^th anniversary of their debut release "Dirty Armada," Italian Metal pioneers SKANNERS have just released their first ever greatest hits album, with the wildly original and seldom used title "Greatest Hits."  Unleashed upon the world on via Music for the Masses Records on October 22, 2021, this compilation includes a chronological offering of songs from each of the band's seven albums.

Normally, I'm not a huge fan of greatest hits albums. However, in this case, I actually appreciated this one because I had never actually heard SKANNERS, even though I was somewhat familiar with the name and wat they were about. So, as it turns out, this particular greatest hits release did its intended job: to give me a sonic buffet of the band's legacy to date and introduce me to an artist that I had not yet listened to.  And as fate would have it, I was actually pleasantly surprised. And the inclusion of a previously unreleased track "Under the Grave" was a great idea to give die-hard fans another reason to pick this up.

It's always cool to hear a band's progression from its early days. Listening to the songs from their early albums "Dirty Armada" "Pictures of War," and "The Magic Square," there is an obvious influence of the FWOBHM, but it's subtle.  There's a good mix of classic metal riffing and falsetto-infused wailing, but there's also a cool infusing of thrashier riffs. The track "Starlight" has a very METAL CHURCH vibe, somewhat reminiscent of the intro to "Ton of Bricks." The songs "Rock Rock City" and "Metal Party" have a definite KISS- inspired energy to them, while "Turn it Louder Now" has a "VAN HALEN-meets-POISON" vibe, almost getting into glam territory. The power ballad "Wild" smacks of SCORPIONS. In fact, I find there to be an overall German-influenced sound that surprised me. Overtones of ACCEPT and PRIMAL FEAR are all over the place in these early offerings, which is not surprising considering these first 3 albums span the mid-eighties to mid-nineties.

As we get into the "Flagellum Dei" era, the band takes a decidedly heavier approach. The title track of this album is an epic metal opus complete with awesome vocal range, killer double-kick drums, and pounding guitars that had me thinking of HELLOWEEN, NEVERMORE and ARMORED SAINT.  "Time of War" takes the classic metal and starts to get more progressive, with its melodic lead break and constantly changing phrasing. Moving into the "Serial Healer" timeline, the track "Soulfinder" has a modern FIGHT sound with some cool leadwork and some impressive vocal wizardry. "Welcome to Hell" sounds like it could have been a bonus track on "Painkiller or Fear of the Dark."

Releases from "Factory of Steel" and "Temptation" seem to revert back to the classic-era sound, just with a more modern presentation. "The Eye" definitely taken a right turn at MAIDEN boulevard with maybe a touch of DIO and FATES WARNING. The one previously released track, "Under the Grave," also offers up a touch of the same old-meets-new flavors wth a decidedly modern production sound, which stands in stark contrast to the majority of the older-sounding recordings compiled here.

I think it's safe to say that this "Greatest Hits" album from SKANNERS does a great job of highlighting the band's progression. The chosen songs are all good, and there is truly something here for everyone who is a fan of the early days of metal. SKANNERS have spanned the gamut of the genre, with sounds ranging from "almost glam" to "almost thrash" and everything in between. For those unfamiliar with the band who are fans of JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, ARMORED SAINT, ACCEPT, PRIMAL FEAR, METAL CHURCH, DIO, and OZZY, I'd suggest giving this a listen. Maybe when you're on a road trip and you want a little variety or if you're tackling projects around the house and want an easy-to-listen-to soundtrack to get you moving. This is an enjoyable album that has plenty to offer.