It is strange to think that Demon have been on the scene for more than 40 years, releasing their debut single all the way back in 1979 as part of the NWOBHM movement, and although there have been line-up changes over the years, singer Dave Hill has been there since the beginning and overall they have been incredibly stable. Apart from bassist Paul Johnson, who re-joined in 2022, everyone else had been in the band for more than a decade, and even he had been there in 2011 and 2012. It has been eight years since their last album, 2016’s ‘Cemetery Junction’, but now savouring their 45th anniversary they have released something which is very special indeed.
Most of the bands still here from the NWOBHM days have changed their approach in one way or another, all of them becoming way more polished if nothing else, but while Demon started life as yet another occult-themed metal outfit, they have turned into something quite different over the years. If I was to point to one album in particular as an influence then it would be Uriah Heep’s ‘Abominog’ (I saw them on that tour, I feel old) where Heep managed to meld modern metal and hard rock with their progressive overtones to create something which was majestic and magnificent, and the same is true here. Classic Rainbow have also had their part to play, along with some Magnum and Blind Guardian tendencies, and the result is something which is simply glorious. Hill is, somewhat incredibly, 77 years old now but his vocals show no sign at all of aging and he is still hitting the notes with ease. This is melodic rock which is modern yet classic at the same time, and for fans of the genre this is something to look out for.
Rating: 8/10
