Review NIGHT DEMON ‘Outsider’

Following the development of a band from the beginning is always an exciting affair, because you don’t know where the journey will take them. One such band is Night Demon from Ventura, California.

We go back to 2012, when the band released a self-titled EP, which was re-released in August 2013 by Shadow Kingdom Records. Summer 2013, those were also the early days of Markus’ Heavy Music Blog and when I listened to the EP for the first time it was clear that this is a band that is striving for more than just a small taste of glory. The very energetic and powerful metal, inspired by the NWoBHM, immediately tempted for headbanging in your own living room.

The EP then brought Night Demon a deal with Steamhammer Records and the release of the debut album ‘Curse oft he Damned’ stood nothing in the way.

Since then, Jarvis Leatherby, Dusty Squires and Armand John Anthony have become an integral part of the heavy metal community and a popular band at festivals and concerts. This is mainly due to the fact that Night Demon’s music works best on stage and the energy of the songs is best expressed there.

Now, six years after ‘Darkness Remains’, the third studio album hits the stores and it is the expected next blast of the band. While some bands play metal, the three guys from Night Demon seem to inhale heavy metal. There is no other way to explain the pulsating metal heart, which is the driving force behind songs like ‘Outsider’ and ‘Escape From Beyond’.

Besides the crashing metal anthems, ‘Outsider’ also features a song called ‘Beyond the Grave’. With more than six minutes running time the song belongs to the epic moments on the album. Also in terms of structure, it is more of an emotional and slower tune, which has heavier guitar riffs, but at the same time features calmer acoustic sections. With ‘Beyond the Grave’ Night Demon show how they have evolved over the years without denying their roots. Songwriting-wise, this track is of great class.

The same goes for the closing ‘The Wrath’. Again, Night Demon show that they are capable of much more than just relying on speed and tempo. Still, it’s a break halfway through the song where the trio kicks it up three gears, which is very beneficial to the overall entertaining factor. Even if Night Demon don’t reinvent heavy metal the trio shows that with good songwriting you can create quite inspiring tunes.

‘Outsider’ is a versatile metal album, which showcases a band that has evolved enormously while still keeping their feet on the ground. Night Demon is all about the passion for music and nothing else. Very good.