Ear Danger

Ear Danger are one of the oldest Dutch Heavy Metal bands. To celebrate their 40 years anniversary, they just release the LP “Still Going Strong – 40 Years Of Ear Danger” on vinyl via Headbangers Records and Big Bad Wolf Records. I talked to bassist and founder Matt Verschoor to look back at the history of the band from the beginning until today.

-Hi Matt! Please let us start at the very beginning: When and how did the foundation of Ear Danger happen?

Actually, it was meant to be a one-off to just make the most noise possible on a high school talent show in Hoogvliet where we come from. That went extremely well – so it went out that there would be a new, ultra-heavy band, so Metal fans who had no business at all at this school flooded the place. We started, things got outta hand, the principal stopped our show, things got even more out of hand. Then, with a little line-up change, John (guitar), Dick and myself started Ear Danger and played a lot of local shows.

-Did you already play in other bands before?

Yes, the three of us used to play in a sort of New Wave-/The Doors-type of band. I played keyboards in that band by the way.

-Which bands are your main influences? And did those influences ever change through all those years?

For me, anything New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, Canadian Metal (Anvil / Exciter) and French Metal.

-What are your lyrics about? Is it just about fullfilling the typical Metal clichés? Or ist there also a kind of message behind them?  

Yes, we typically go for the usual „violence and force“ themes, with an exception here or there, like ”Start Illusion“ (on “Warrior Soul“) that is about the madness of TV talent shows.

-You often use song titles of other bands although they´re no cover songs: “1000 Days In Sodom“ (Venom), “Children Of The Sun“ (Agent Steel), “Burn At The Stake“ (Hammer Witch, Exciter), “Still Going Strong“ (Anvil), “Give ´Em Hell“ (Witchfynde), “Crusader“ (Saxon) or “Storming The Gates” (Riot). Are those “stolen” song titles a kind of tribute to the bands you love? Musically they mostly fit, I think…

You’re telling me that and there are at least two that I didn’t even realize! “Crusader“ is a song that is older than Saxon’s “Crusader”! it was written by Dick and one of his friends after the 1984 Ear Danger split-up. “Storming The Gates“, yes indeed! Never made the connection. Some titles are just so obvious that they are bound to be used more than once. I’d like to refer to Judas Priest’s “Firepower“ that also has a song called “Children Of The Sun“. “Still Going Strong”… John and I wrote that one in 1981, way before Anvil. But again: It’s bound to happen and it doesn’t really matter, does it? We’ve also got a song call “Heavy Metal Hammer“. I wouldn’t be surprised if Metalucifer also has a song with that title, haha!

-In the 1980´s you only released three demos. Why did you not make an album back in the day? And why did you split up in 1984 at all? 

We started recording an album, but really, at that point we were all very tired. Bass and drums recordings were well under way when people started leaving. From those recordings, we used bass and drums for “King Of The Midnight Fire” for the split-EP.

-In 1984 there was this split-EP featuring Atomic Rock, Scum and Anwar. Did you have contact to those bands? Or was it just the label´s decision.

Not really. There were four separate bands. Never heard much from them after that, except Atomic Rock who also had a track on “When The Hammer Comes Down“, the compilation tape I released.

-In 2007 you reunited with Ear Danger. What did you do in between? Were you guys still active? 

Dick played in a Blues band for most of the time. After Ear Danger I played in the Doom Metal band Tempter, then I stopped completely for a couple of years. In 1995, I started playing in a Blues Rock band, then played the piano in a Rock `n` Roll band and started recording Mr. Moonlight. That took me a couple of years.

-From the original line-up, only you and drummer Dick Vijgen are still in the band. Were the other guys not interested in a reunion anymore?

Either they weren’t interested, or we weren’t. Either way, Dick and I thought it’d be in anybody’s best interest not to insist.

-Since 2018, you have two guitarists for the first time. Why did you decide to do this?

Leon started having trouble singing. So, we looked out for a new, separate singer. And that ist he whole story.

-Let´s also talk about your new record, “Still Going Strong – 40 Years Of Ear Danger“ which is actually not a new album actually. On the a-side you re-recorded the whole second demo from 1983. Why not all three of them?

It wouldn’t have fitted on one side of a vinyl, hehe! No, the number 2 has three songs that we never released before, and “Beelzebub’s Friend”. So that seemed like the obvious choice. We could have added “Heavy Metal Hammer“ from the third demo, coming to think of it.

-On the b-side, you included the 2018 EP, “Storming The Gates“ which was only available on CD before. Is it important to you to release all your recordings in old school vinyl format? 

Most certainly yes, and we have noticed that people like to have that. So this album: either you buy because you want “Storming The Gates“ on vinyl and you get a re-recording of “demo 2”, or you want it because you want a re-recording of “demo 2” and you get “Storming The Gates” on vinyl at the same time.

-Are there any plans for live shows to celebrate the 40 years anniversary during all this covid19 chaos?

Coming Saturday we play Blokhut live in Baroeg, a festival and it’s almost sold out, May 13th we play Musicon in The Hague with Impact.

-What else is planned in the future? Will there be a new album with completely new songs?  All the new songs are ready. There are five that have been incorporated in the new set. So, should not be too long!

-Okay, Matt! That´s it. Do you have some nice last words?

Really… I was 17 when I wrote “Beelzebub’s Friend”! To think that I’m 58 and people still enjoy that song…. Writing that must have been my genius 15 minutes in life, haha!

-Daniel Müller-