The New Wave of British Heavy Metal that exploded in the late 70s and early 80s boasted a long list of bands that had the potential to be huge but never grabbed that elusive brass ring. Diamondhead and Angel Witch always come to mind, but there were many others, like Witchfynde, Paralex and Jaguar. Also included in that list should be Demon.

This band’s path was a very peculiar one. Their debut album Night of the Demon had a pretty gory cover that was shocking at the time, but the music within resembled AC/DC and Saxon, with only the title track really delving into full blown metal diabolism. They featured an exceptionally talented vocalist in Dave Hill and a killer lead guitarist in Les Hunt. That first record was promising, but with album number two, The Unexpected Guest, Demon really came into their own and delivered something that could stand toe to toe with any British band of the time, including Iron Maiden. It was much more unabashedly metallic, with stronger songwriting, and it also dived right into the world of the occult that had only been hinted at on Night of The Demon. It still stands as one of the best records from this period.

Oddly enough, the third Demon album The Plague veered drastically once more into an almost totally prog rock approach resembling Asia more than anything else. It was not without its charm, but fans of the first two albums were dismayed. Demon are still recording but they never recaptured the momentum of those first three albums.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

This brief opening soundscape really sets the scene with some creepy effects and tones. It almost sounds like it was lifted from a movie, with ominous footsteps, a woman in distress and weird child-like piano playing. It really fires up the imagination.

This one is notably darker than the previous song and relates the tale of an evil ritual. “Take your place in the circle/Watch the mystery unwind/One cup of your lifeblood/Two cups of your mind." There’s some slinky synth winding in and out of the metal riffing here and some excellent use of ringing bells. This one reminds me of Ozzy's “Mr. Crowley” in some ways, but I might even like it a bit more.