We will all remember 2020 as the year where everything went wrong and artistic life (and not only of course) came to an abrupt stop. Most definitely, though, all the fans of Night Demon have an additional reason to remember this fateful year. Well, to be precise they have five additional reasons as their favorite band released five 7’’ singles in ultra-limited quantities thus giving us all nightmares in finding them all. Rightfully so, the American band decided to collect all the songs from those singles (including the respective b’sides) and release them on an album. Good thinking as I know lots of people that were scouting Ebay and Discogs on a daily basis.
So what are we getting with “Night of the Demon”? 4 original compositions and 6 cover tunes of Maiden, Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, Cirith Ungol and Le Grife. Those who have seen Night Demon live in action, they know for sure what a brilliant and high energy show they put on! Also, every single rendition of theirs on a classic song is an absolute flawless piece of rock n’ roll art! So, it goes without saying that the same applies with the covers that are included here: “In Trance”, “Top of the Bill”, “Wasted Years”, “The Sun Goes Down”, “100 mph” και “Fast Bikes”. Personally, I wasn’t aware of the latter one and I didn’t even know the band Le Griffe. Honestly, they are quite awesome.
As for the original songs, we are treated with 4 bombastic tunes in the classic vein of Night Demon. In other words, all four of them blow our minds with their unique quality and energy and we can’t help but being constantly impressed by how tight this Californian power-trio is. Amazing! “Year of the Demon” might be technically a collection of previously available songs but in reality it’s a good opportunity for a wider audience to get a hold of this beauty that was only available to the collectors. Also, it serves as a good appetizer for the upcoming studio album that will be probably released in the fall of 2022. It seems that 2022 is really the…year of the Night Demon!
Highlight: If I may put forward a personal opinion, “Empires Fall” is the best cut of the 4 original tunes.
