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New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Demon were known for their shocking and elaborate performances (quite unique,considering the no-fuss,
stripped-down philosophy characteristic of the movement), but never sounded as extreme as theirname might suggest. Instead, they forged a
mainstream hard rock/metal style, which, though it didn't stand out from thepack, has managed to keep them in business for several decades.
Singer Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner had already cut their teeth with various amateur acts in their native Staffordshire,England, by the time
they decided to join force ...read more
New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Demon were known for their shocking and elaborate performances (quite unique,considering the no-fuss,
stripped-down philosophy characteristic of the movement), but never sounded as extreme as theirname might suggest. Instead, they forged a
mainstream hard rock/metal style, which, though it didn't stand out from thepack, has managed to keep them in business for several decades.
Singer Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner had already cut their teeth with various amateur acts in their native Staffordshire,England, by the time
they decided to join forces and found Demon midway through 1980. With the assistance of guitaristClive Cook, bassist Paul Riley, and drummer
John Wright, they quickly secured a one-off single deal with independent ClayRecords, resulting in the "Liar" 7" later that year. The disc sold
surprisingly well and Demon were presently snapped up byFrench label Carrere (then also the home of NWOBHM stars Saxon) and shipped right
back into the studio to record a fullalbum, Cook and Riley making way for new lead guitarist Les Hunt and bassist Chris Ellis at this time.
Released in July 1981,their debut, Night of the Demon, was loaded with darkly gothic heavy metal on the one hand (side A) and melodic hard
rockon the other (side B), drawing positive comparisons to Judas Priest and latter-day Rainbow. A noteworthy stylistic balancingact, the semi-
conceptual LP shifted quite a few units, as did its very solid 1982 follow-up, The Unexpected Guest, whichcarried on in similar fashion while
adding keyboard player Andy Wright to the mix.
But with each passing album and tour, Demon seemed to place less emphasis on writing quality music than they did on fillingtheir performances
with outrageous theatrics and special effects, with Hill in particular preoccupying himself with adopting asinister alter ego and taking to jumping
out of a coffin on-stage. Perhaps realizing that the group was losing its way, Carreredecided to cash in their chips before the arrival of 1983's
terribly overwrought The Plague, which found Demon exploringambitious progressive rock territory and signaled the start of their decline. New
members John Waterhouse (guitar), GavinSutherland (bass), and Steven Watts (keyboards) took part in the sessions for fourth album British
Standard Approved, buteven before its release, the group suffered a major setback when founding member Mal Spooner -- long suffering
fromnumerous health problems -- succumbed to pneumonia and passed away in December 1984.
Singer Dave Hill vowed to carry on in his honor, but most fans agree that things have never been quite same withoutSpooner. Released in 1985,
Heart of Our Time seemed to confirm this and was but the first in a string of increasinglyoverlooked LPs to emerge over the next decade.
Guitarist Steve Brookes and bassist Nick Bushell (both of them formermembers of punk heroes Discharge, oddly enough) came aboard before
1989's Taking the World by Storm, which was in turnfollowed by 1990's live One Helluva Night and 1991's Anthology. Hill finally put the band on
ice during the ‘90s and evenreleased a solo album in 1994. But after compiling another best-of set in 1999, he decided to hire a new group of
backupmusicians and a revamped Demon inaugurated the new millennium with their tenth studio album, 2001's Spaced Out Monkey.Hill and his
cohorts -- guitarists Ray Walmsley and Karl Finney, keyboardist Paul "Fazza" Farrington, bassist Andy Dale, anddrummer Neil Ogden -- issued
Better the Devil You Know! in 2005. « hide |
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