EAR DANGER are a Dutch Old School Heavy Metal band. They hail from Hoogvliet near Rotterdam and they were around from 1981 until 1984, before disbanding. Due to some requests to play live again, they reformed in 2007 and have been around ever since. As a Dutch band it is very difficult to get a record deal, so it is not surprising that they released three demos in their first stint, and one in 2007. It took until 2011 to see their debut album come to life. It is aptly named “Full Blast At Last”. It was followed by “Warrior Soul” in 2014. Then came another long wait. In 2022 we heard “Still Going Strong – 40 Years Of Ear Danger” shed its music on our turntable. So, now it is time for “Minotaur” to rear its ugly head. To me the honour of trying to decipher what I am listening to.

In the very limited information I got with the digital files it says that the band were not pushed into releasing this album, but felt they were more than ready to do so. The record companies Headbangers Records and Big Bad Wolf Records agreed and, like so many times before, collaborated to make sure “Minotaur” gets a proper release and distribution. It was released om April 21st, 2024. Well, that is the introduction done, now we switch to the music. Like mentioned before, this is Old School Heavy Metal, and the album does exactly what it says on the tin.

Let me be frank, every song you hear will take you back to the early eighties, due to the style of music that EAR DANGER are playing. When it comes to influences that I hear, I will have to revert to Dutch bands, as I hear a lot of them. Sometimes it will sound like early PICTURE, sometimes like HORIZON or HIGHWAY CHILE. I don’t mind that one bit, because I still enjoy listening to those bands in that era. What does bother me though is that the production is too flat, not dynamic enough. I would have expected that in this day and age, with all the (cheap) technology available, it would have resulted in “Minotaur” having a sound that would wow me. Alas, that hasn’t happened. It doesn’t make the record any less likeable as it was, as all songs are rather strong, but I feel it is a missed chance to draw in new crowds.