Label: Volcano Records

Date: November 13th, 2020

Dear metalhead, please read the band’s name again and tell me what do you expect? Or has there been more than enough of “Metal Something” bands that bore nothing more than a fire breathing moniker? Yes, and I agree! Still, whenever I see a band named like Metal Detektor I come to expect an album as worthy as “Painkiller”. Once again, my expectations were met with utter disappointment.

Oh, not to forget the band photo with vocalist’s biceps in the front row…

Now, take a look at the cover artwork and the album title. I must mention that I find NASCAR the most boring form of motorsports ever to exist.

And then off to music. The Italian quintet delves on the outer frontiers of NWOBHM. Occasionally flirting with related genres, such as hard rock or bike rock, they somehow manage to remain loyal to what Saxon or Angel Witch did. Unfortunately, Metal Detektor stays far away from the creative exquisiteness of Iron Maiden. Even with the two bands mentioned above, the Italians seem to be more influenced by their most recent outputs than their legendary 1980’s records. Of course, it just seems so, because these guys simply don’t have what it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder even with the mediocre releases of their idols.

Doing things by the book, can bring results. It has been proven countless times. However, it takes a whole lot of effort to stand out in the battle of equals. In the case of “The Battle of Daytona”, one can easily detect (pun very much intended) a chronic lack of catchy parts. Basically, the whole album was created to appeal only to the most uncritical fans of 1980’s British heavy metal. Nice nostalgic journey, but once these 45 minutes expire, you can easily switch to the next record and two hours later all you can remember is the name Metal Detektor. If even that…

I wouldn’t add anything more to this review. I feel like Metal Detektor serves the one purpose of five Italians having fun playing music they obviously love. To take “The Battle of Daytona” any more seriously would be a huge favor to the band members. Effort has been made, no doubt, but all in vain. Easily forgettable, and even easier to pass completely.