English translation from the Swedish Magazine OKEJ. OKEJ was more or less the only music magazine in Sweden during the 1980’s and almost 90% of Swedish youth read it and then talked about in school. Are you interested in the OKEJ magazine phenomena, read more here!
- their stage show leaves no one indifferent
Things are looking up for England's new monster rockers - The Demon. Their music is tough heavy metal, their stage show is wild and spiced with horror and the new LP "The Unexpected Guest" has been a hit with both audiences and critics.
Demon was formed in January 1980 and began with modest but appreciated gigs at small clubs and various rock festivals in northern and central England. It was the group's baptism of fire, when income more than rarely covered expenses and when the "glamorous" rock life for Demon could be summed up in hectic travel, bad food and cramped and dirty lodgings. But only after barely six months did things really start to happen.
Making a name for themselves
At the end of May, singer Dave Hill met the ambitious and enterprising Mike Stone, who at the time owned a small record label called Clay Records. Mike liked Demon, became their manager and signed them to his label. Just three months later the first single, "Liar", was released, and the following year, in August 1981, the debut album "Night Of The Demon" was released. The LP was hardly even half-heartedly marketed and was a disappointment in terms of sales, but "Night Of The Demon" still marks the breakthrough of this British heavy metal group. They made a name for themselves and their style and image were perfectly in line with the times - Demon caught on to the surging hard rock wave, which had hardly reached its peak yet.
Routine
It is Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner who write most of Demon's songs and if you recognize the name Dave Hill, it is probably because he had an international hit with the song "A Little Bit Of Soul" with the group Iron Cross a few years ago. For Mal Spooner, the success with Demon was the first real "lift", but the others in the group were already known in England, at least. The incredibly fast and agile lead guitarist Les Cook, like bassist Chris Ellis, has a background as a member of the well-known The Hunter, and drummer John Wright
previously played drums in the Sutherland Brothers. Together, the guys make up a seasoned bunch.
Horror show
Demon's stage show is a provocative, fascinating and sometimes frightening experience, which hardly leaves anyone unmoved - among other things, grotesque masks, lights, smoke and other effects play a significant role. In private, however, they are far from the monsters and demons they portray on stage - Les Cook's greatest interest is gourmet food and various culinary finesses, Mal is very involved in bodybuilding, John is fond of fast sports cars and Chris - who received his musical education in the classical trade as a teenager - now spends much of his free time practicing his skills and knowledge on various instruments that are more unusual in a rock context, including the cello and harp.
Demon's latest album is called "The Unexpected Guest" and was released in July this year. The LP has sold well and has been high on the special heavy metal chart in England, in tough competition with groups like Judas Priest, Asia and Survivor.
It is clear that Demon will soon be considered one of the true elite bands of hard rock.
/ L. B.