Night of the Demon

Night of the Demon holds a certain place in heavy metal mythology. As far as I am concerned, it is maybe the first metal album presenting such a macabre, ghastly imagery in its cover. Hell, someone could easily say that it's some obscure proto-death metal judging from the cover alone. Occult lyrics were of course nothing new to rock and metal music in 1981 but this cover is, I daresay, groundbreaking and it's rightly considered a classic. But what about the music?

The album starts exceptionally well. The first four songs (intro included) are among the cream of the crop of NWOBHM. A short, gloomy introduction first and then the self titled song kicks in, which is a classic piece of heavy metal. Legendary chorus, sweet riffs, very cool lyrics that go along with the aura of the band; personally I couldn't ask for more. "Into The Nightmare" is more mid tempo goodness. Insanely catchy chorus, lead guitar sounds awesome, and when Dave Hill sings "Out of the dead of night they came into the nightmare" I imagine a video clip of the song with some "Prince of Darkness" or "The Fog" excerpts playing. Next in tracklist is "Father of Time". Here, Demon gently apply the brakes and create a slow, moody piece which works very well in the context of the album. Really neat guitar work again, combined with some messianic, apocalyptic lyrics. And that's it. Unfortunately the rest of the album is a completely different story. The next six songs are nothing like those that preceded them. Juvenile 70s hard rock and somewhat uninispired compositions. It is like I'm listening to a different album. Typical, run of the mill riffs, silly and indifferent lyrics that do not keep up with the previous songs and the production doesn't help either, very flat and dry sound. Mind you, they are listenable songs, especially "One Helluva Night", but ultimately they fail to deliver. You will find no ominous vibes in them, nothing that justifies the album cover. They sound like they were written and recorded at another time and then the band decided to throw them in this record. I have never encountered such a stark inconsistency in any other album. That also works against those songs. I have to repeat, that despite how bitter I may sound, they are not bad pieces. They are honest, simple rock songs that would easily fit to a party but they inevitably lose in comparison with the first tracks and eventually they sound a bit off when you hear the whole album. I think it would benefit the band if they had decided to release an EP with the first four songs and an LP with the rest of the album.

To sum it up, I would recommend this one. Besides the undisputable historic importance, the first side alone, save "Decisions", is worth the admission ticket. As for the second side, slightly above average but just that. Heed my warning if you want and proceed with caution, don't set you standards too high. A good NWOBHM album that Demon would easily surpass with their sophomore effort, the mighty "Unexpected Guest". Personally, I even prefer "The Plague" to this one.

They drenched their bodies in ghoulish paint and pentagrams at concerts, and were notorious for emerging out of coffins on stage. They called themselves “Demon.” They must be one of the heaviest, most evil bands in all of England, right?

Their 1981 record “Night of the Demon” begins. The album opens with “Full Moon,” an ominous chanting of the word “Rise” as tombs are opening and beasts gurgle “Lucifer! Satan! Beelzebub!” Could this be the band that actually outdoes Newcastle’s Venom?

Then, it’s the ultimate anticlimax; the title track kicks in and it sounds like… Deep Purple, maybe Thin Lizzy, one of those hard rock bands that overlap with the heavy metal genre. There’s a lot of chugging riffs and a bit of a typical NWOBHM sound, and that’s the only reason this can be called metal; it’s about as borderline as it gets.

It’s really easy to see why some people were disappointed, but in order to appreciate this you need to look past what it was billed as. Have you ever seen previews for a horror film that made the movie out be scary, watched it, and then found out it was actually a really good thriller with an interesting plot? That’s what this album is like; it’s filled with amazingly crafted hooks and melodies, fun lyrics about demons and debauchery and love, and an overall happy atmosphere. All the songs are about mid-paced, with lots of good and simple guitar solos and fills, but it’s nothing even remotely extreme.

One of the best components of Demon is vocalist Dave Hill, who is unique for being one of the few heavy metal singers to sing in a clean, relatively deep voice. His performance really makes Demon stand out from the crowd, amongst other factors such as the clear production that was unusual for this British metal scene. Big names like Def Leppard and Iron Maiden were below them at this point in history when it came to crystal production quality. That said, it’s not exactly my personal concept of ideal production either, and I almost prefer the rougher sound of other bands sometimes.

But what’s important is songwriting, and that’s why Demon are one of the most underrated NWOBHM bands of all time. I’ll take them over most of the huge successes and well-remembered legends from the scene any day. “Fool to Play the Hard Way” is everything you could ask for in a mellow, beautiful love song. “One Helluva Night” is loud-and-proud party metal and one of the few parts of this album that sounds 80’s; this release is mostly 70’s-style heavy metal, or even 60’s rock like Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild.” Other highlights include the AC/DC-esque “Big Love” and the ultra-melodic “Into the Nightmare” which foreshadows the style on their sophomore album.

In order to understand the faults of this album it must be explained how it is organized: Side A is occult-themed devil-rock and a spiritual descendent of Black Sabbath, while side B is hedonistic women-and-motorcycles metal for the 80’s Judas Priest and Saxon fans. It’s legitimate biker-sounding stuff that sounds straight from the local pub; in fact, this band sounds like it’s playing for a bar throughout this entire side. This is actually what they did better in 1981, as the first side is a bit inconsistent with a couple weaker tracks such as “Decisions.” It’s still good, but they did this same niche except superiorly on “The Unexpected Guest.”

This album is recommended for metalheads who love melody, enjoy hard rock in addition to metal, and don’t mind lyrics that range from the fires of Hell to heart-melting ballads. But don’t go looking for some atmospheric journey; this is a fun, rocking, versatile piece of music.

I always thought Demon’s one of the best “lesser known” NWOBHM bands (e.g. not as widely known as Maiden of Saxon), mainly because of the cool, somewhat rough vocals instead of the standard high vocals most bands in the genre use. The vocals on this album are really good and fit really well with the music. Second thing I instantly loved when I heard this band first where the leads and solo’s. On this debut they’re nice, but not as outstanding as their second album. Noteworthy solo’s on this one are the ones on Ride The Wind and One Helluva Night. These really make you want to bang your head, standing on your bed playing air-guitar all through the songs.

Another thing that makes this album so damn catchy are the repeating sing-along choruses. Due to this you might think the lyrics are not too interesting… wrong. We have really interesting lyrics here, mostly featuring a little occult stuff (Hey, they’re called Demon, right?), profound and well written. Therefore it’s only a good thing the choruses are easy to remember, it sticks in your head and makes you want to listen to them many times again.

As for the songs, the album start with an intro. The intro tries to set a kind of mood for the album but it doesn’t flow into the opening riff very well, it sound kind of disappointing every time I hear it. I like the created atmosphere the intro has but the album isn’t that dark in it’s entirety. The rest of the songs can be divided into the faster ones; Decisions, Into the nightmare, Night of the demon, Ride the wind and One helluva night, and the more mid tempo songs like Father of time, Liar, Big Love and Fool to play the hard way. The slower ones show some more emotion in the vocals, but the best part is the up-tempo part of the album, which really rocks on, time after time. It’s a so called feel-good album, it makes you happy when you listen to it.

If you like 80’s metal or NWOBHM, be sure not to miss this one in your collection. Great vocal performance, nice solo’s and catchy songs, that’s the album in summary. I you don’t have it yet, the LP version should be not too hard to find for a few bucks, and pick up The Unexpected Guest (their second album) at the same time, then you have the two essential Demon-albums. Have fun!

“…and the nightmare begins as the devil rides out…”

This is possibly what Lucifer’s Friend would’ve sounded like if their debut came out eleven years later and in that time soaked up sponge loads of relatively boring mid-late ‘70s rock. At this time, a darker ideology was starting to stir in our pubescent metal scene, and Demon was one of those anticlimactic bands I often speak of that were visually/topically emblematic of it, yet so anemic in its composure that it was almost laughable. Dark rock had already grown roots at the cusp of the previous decade with Horse, Writing on the Wall, Josefus, Necromandus, of course Sabbath, and the aforementioned Lucifer’s Friend, and the sounds from these bands were not only more dynamic, but heavier. How could someone take Demon’s debut seriously? Of course, I’m speaking of fans that were old enough to have been in at least junior high in the late '70s. At eleven years old, I didn’t even know this band existed, but after hearing “Don’t Break the Circle” (which is actually a swell song) and “Beyond the Gates” at fourteen, I was certain they weren’t blistering ears everywhere.

Hard rock pretty much outweighs the metal in this outing, hardly tingling a NWOBHM vibe in me even if they are considered part of the movement. The chorus is the strength in most of these tracks, and while lacking heaviness and rebellion, there’s a simple catchiness to the sound that still doesn’t make up for it, but at least makes things fairly listenable.

Despite “Full Moon”, its corny chant n’ burp black mass intro, the even-keeled title cut is hooked well enough to warrant radio play and probably has somewhere. There are three songs on here that can get the ‘ol heart rate pumping a few beats faster than normal: “Ride the Wind”, “One Helluva Night”, and “Decisions”. That’s not saying they’re accomplished songs, but can probably liven up a dusty warehouse just by simply playing. “Into the Nightmare” would also be on that list, but the song’s mildly memorable chorus gives it special mention. Of the more moderate choices, “Father of Time” is the best with its easy main structure animated by a meaningful chorus. “Liar”, “Big Love” and its stunted AC/DC-with-a-ho-hum-vocalist veneer, and most uneventful “Fool To Play the Hard Way” drag the lp down nicely. But hey, at least the production is top shelf.

While there are some songs on here that don’t make me wilt like a frostbitten sunflower, I’ll be happy if I don’t have to hear this one for another couple of years. Next year’s opus, The Unexpected Guest, did more to turn heads, so give them extra points for improvement.

Demon's debut album "Night of The Demon" is an enjoyable example of what the more melodic, AOR side of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal had to offer.

Starting off with a dark, slow, misleadingly foreboding mantra, the album goes off like a firecracker with the second track "Night of The Demon", featuring a very simple four chord riff, standing to this day, after eleven albums and almost twentyfive years, as one of the catchiest offerings from this band. Dave Hill showcases a great display of hard rock style vocals, always appropriately supported by a fittingly simple rythm section, contributing to making this song a true classic of its kind. The album proceeds for another song with the band's distinct Black Sabbath-meets-AC/DC sound, slowing down on the mellow "Father of Time", only to pick up the pace again with the fast and upbeat "Decisions", hinting at what the band's musical orientation would be in the years to come.

Upon flipping over the LP, the mood of the songs decidedly changes to a more blues influenced feel. Gone are the supernatural themes and the dark atmospheres, unabashedly replaced by women, whisky, and all the things you're bound to find while "running wild" on the highway, riding on a "brand new pair of wheels". That is not to imply the band had moved to the typically "biker" sound that was spreading like a wildfire in early 80's Britain - this is no Wheels of Steel. The sound has been slowed down and stripped to the bone, the voids have become every bit as important as the instrumental parts, leaving Dave Hill alone in the spotlight to run the show and entertain the audience with his warm and powerful voice. Thus the listener is treated to a pleasant alternation of moods and tempos all tied together by the common blues matrix.

Demon's "Night of The Demon" might not appeal to fans of complicated songs with elaborate structures and hyper-technical solos, and it will no doubt bore the average Darkthrone or Dream Theatre fan. Despite being a very simple easy-listening release though, Demon's debut album does not fail to keep itself enjoyable even after many listens: what this album lacked in complexity, it more than made up for with its vast number of catchy riffs, and with Dave Hill's excellent vocals, which fit the songs perfectly, adding a personal and unique touch to each song. The album remains interesting throughout its length, no song sounding quite like another, each one conveying a different mood and feeling, and it is likely to satisfy all AOR/Blues Rock fans, NWOBHM cultists, and most metalheads with a taste for softer retro sounds.