Year : 2018
Style : Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 190 mb
Bio:
From out of the darkness comes a new EP to sear your soul, “Night Demon” , by the band Night Demon hailing from Ventura, California. A self-titled debut from a terrific 3-piece that will remind you of everything great about Heavy Metal in the early 80s.Night Demon encompasses the best about that era, but they bring the genre into the modern day with ease. Although they've been compared to NWOBHM acts like Angel Witch, Saxon, Diamondhead, and Samson, as well as some American ones like Riot, they have composed material that sounds fresh in today's world.“Night Demon” is a classic, fist-pumping rock anthem right from the start, extolling the virtues of being Night Demon in verse. With the power of Metal your town is doomed by Night Demon!! Or at least your beer supply. Driving bass lines reminiscent of old Iron Maiden accompany vocals remindful of Guy Speranza of Riot. This first tune lets you know what the rest of the album will be like. They don't stray far from the formula of the era but they exercise everything that was good about it. Without missing a beat, everything that was awesome about the time is brought to new life.“The Chalice” rings true of some of the best of that power-driven metal that combines into a single, catchy, sing-along song, like every song on this album, really. Lyrically, it is one of those songs that just epitomizes what this style of music is supposed to bring. Sealing the selling of one's soul over a drink with the Devil is just another day for some. With deep bass lines, catchy guitar hooks, and an eerie vocal approach, it is perhaps the best executed song on the album.“Ancient Evil”. Now any song about Cthulu better be well done or you're toast. Good for these guys that they did it right!! Storytelling at its best drawing from H.P. Lovecraft's works, it is a fast-paced barn burner that chugs along like a freight train from opening to end. Steeped in classic metal, this cut depends heavily on the vocal performance being delivered properly while eliciting excitement from the listener. Mission is accomplished on this tune, with a delivery that shows the ability and range of Jarvis Leatherby's vocals.“Ritual” closes out the album with a classic double-time thrash piece. Kicking right off with pressing guitar riffs and thunderous drums, this song rips right into you from the start. As the EP started so it ends, reminding everyone that the “Ritual” involves Night Demon, circles of fans, and drinking to be sure. No town will be spared the devastation of a rampaging Rock Band. No magic will protect you from the Night Demon...Embodying everything that was fun and great of a past era, this band is definitely keeping it old school. They deliver with every song, and show no signs of slowing. Already they have played all over Europe in many festivals including Germany's Keep It True Festival 2014. The KIT is legendary for delivering metal to the masses year in and year out at sold out shows. This band isn't out to change any musical landscapes. They are simply recreating music from a time when great music was plentiful and drawing from its best examples. Whether it's thunderous and driving rhythms or searing guitars and vocals, this EP delivers the best of the era. It ends far too soon, doesn't overstay, and leaves you wanting more in just under 15 minutes.Consisting of Jarvis Leatherby on vocals/bass, Brent Woodward on guitar, and Dusty Squiers on drums, this is an amazing power trio with a ranged vocalist that allows the band to slide around so many of the great sounds of the times. We are destined to hear more of this band, so add their patch to your denim jacket and let the claws of the Night Demon pull you in...
Album:
In the span of a few short years, Night Demon have taken the underground by storm. With a sound channeling the best of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a treasure trove of killer songs, a tireless blue-collar work ethic, and a reputation for incendiary live performances, the trio from Ventura, California have been methodically conquering the world one stage at a time. Having released a self-titled EP (2013) and two full-length albums (2015’s Curse of the Damned and 2017’s Darkness Remains), Night Demon decided the timing was right to release a double live album (or triple live, for those who prefer vinyl formats). And why not? They have hundreds of gigs under their belts, and many of the songs (especially the older tracks) have evolved, and I daresay improved, in the crucible of the live arena. Besides, as any dyed-in-the-wool Night Demon banger will tell you, the band shines the brightest onstage. Not to take anything away from the superb studio albums, but you can’t possibly grasp the ferocity, intensity and sheer fricking genius of Night Demon until you’ve experienced them live. So why not try to capture that true essence of the band with a live album?Recorded on a chilly December night before a packed house at the Beachland Ballroom in their adopted home of Cleveland, Ohio, Live Darkness includes searing, sweaty renditions of every original Night Demon track from their studio body of work save three (“Livin’ Dangerous,” “Killer” and “Run for Your Life” are the winning answers if you’re ever asked on Jeopardy), plus a crushing cover of Midnight’s “Evil Like a Knife,” featuring a guest appearance from Athenar himself. Your humble scribe was on hand to witness the occasion, and I can tell you that Live Darkness accurately documents what happened that night (except that final encore “Wasted Years” was axed from the tracklisting). The band was on fire, tearing breathlessly through their 24-song setlist, each song faster and louder than the last, with a rabid audience of true fanatics reveling in every moment. That energy, that passion and that fire all fairly burst out of the speakers when listening to Live Darkness. All three musicians were as locked-in as I’ve ever seen them that night: Dusty Squires methodically pounding his drums into oblivion, Armand John Anthony effortlessly conjuring fiery magic on his fretboard, and Jarvis Leatherby singing his lungs out while bringing the thunder on bass. When you play Live Darkness, you can feel it, I swear you can.It’s not easy to get a live album right. Think about it: We’ve all heard dozens of basically superfluous, contract-filler live albums where the songs basically sound the same as the studio versions, with a little crowd noise mixed in and maybe a few extraneous solo or singalong parts to pad the running time and bore the listener. Not so with Live Darkness. There’s no bullshit, no wasted time, no self-indulgent speeches or solo spots or endless boring audience participation parts. On this album, as they do every single night, Night Demon hit the stage, kick your ass, and leave you breathless and exhausted, wondering just what the hell happened. In recent interviews, Leatherby has said that the band’s objective with Live Darkness was to give their fans definitive versions of their songs. And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Without exception, the live renditions of the Night Demon cuts on Live Darkness outshine their already magnificent studio counterparts. Especially the EP and Curse of the Damned tracks crackle with newfound life and vibrancy, nearly all of them screaming past at faster tempos and positively breathing fire as they careen down the rails. (It’s not just tempos either. Truth be told, and I think the band wouldn’t disagree, all of the players have gotten better since the EP and Curse were recorded, both vocally and musically, so they now do justice to these songs in a way they perhaps couldn’t before.) But even the Darkness Remains tunes benefit from the go-for-the-jugular treatment on Live Darkness, replacing the thin layer of studio sheen with balls-to-the-wall sweat and blood. All told, it’s akin to the difference between the early Raven studio recordings and Live at the Inferno, or the difference between the early Judas Priest studio recordings and Unleashed in the East, or (if you’ll indulge me for a moment) early Blind Guardian versus Tokyo Tales. That’s what a great live album does: It transforms and elevates the material into something above and beyond what you previously knew it to be. And it’s exactly what Live Darkness does. From now until forever, when I hear “Ritual” or “The Howling Man” or “Save Me Now” or “Black Widow,” I’m going to crave the live version over and above the studio version. That’s the version I hear in my head. It’s definitive. And now I have it preserved on tape (or CD or vinyl or 8-track or whatever) until the end of time. What an amazing gift Night Demon have bestowed on their loyal fanbase.Look, at the end of the day, there’s a very short list of mandatory live albums: Live After Death, Alive in Athens, Live at the Inferno, Alive!/, Alive II, Unleashed in the East, No Sleep ‘Till Hammersmith, and a handful of others. Add Live Darkness to that short list. Carve it in stone forevermore. It belongs there. It’s essential. If you’re already a Night Demon fan, then do yourself a favor and queue up to buy this sucker on its worldwide release date of August 10, 2018. (Pro tip: Get the vinyl, not only for the sound, but for the endlessly entertaining photo collages on each record sleeve. Images of many of the band’s fans and friends are included, so you just might find yourself too.) And if, for whatever reason, you’ve not encountered Night Demon before, Live Darkness is the ideal introduction point to what the boys from Ventura are all about. The sky’s the limit. World domination is at hand. And Live Darkness is the soundtrack.
Line-Up:
Dusty Squires Drums
Armand John Anthony Guitars - See also: ex-Gygax
Jarvis Leatherby Vocals, Bass (2011-present) - See also: Cirith Ungol, Jaguar (live), ex-Black Opal, ex-Jeff Hershey and the Heartbeats, ex-No Motiv
Tracklist:
CD1:
01. Welcome to the Night
02. Full Speed Ahead
03. Ritual
04. Curse Of The Damned
05. Dawn Rider
06. Save Me Now
07. Hallowed Ground
08. Maiden Hell
09. Mastermind
10. On Your Own
11. Life On The Run
CD2:
01. The Howling Man
02. Black Widow
03. Ancient Evil
04. Satan
05. Evil Like A Knife
06. Stranger In The Room
07. Screams In The Night
08. Flight Of The Manticore
09. The Chalice
10. Darkness Remains
11. Heavy Metal Heat
12. Night Demon
+ Video "Life On The Run" (Official Video)
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