| Product: |
The Unexpected Guest - Demon |
| Date: |
31/03/08 (32 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Well structured songs with a bit more class than some
Disadvantages: Extra tracks are a bit pointless and track listing has song missing!
Demon were formed in 1979/80 and immediately fell into the category of the 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal' (the impossible to pronouce acronym NWOBHM to those in the know!).
Following the release of their first album ('Night of the Demon') and a session recorded live for Tommy Vance's Radio 1 Rock Show it seemed the future was bright for this quintet of musicians. Yet, unlike Iron Maiden or Saxon, they just never got the credit they deserved and somehow slipped past many people's radar.
This may have been down to the name and song titles which do give the impression that they belong in the same league as bands such as Venom but they are NOT, or nowhere near, Black Metal.
'The Unexpected Guest' is the follow-up to their initial LP and is, in my opinion, their finest work. This remastered release not only contains the original 11 tracks but also adds 4 bonus pieces in the form of 1 remixed track and 3 demo versions.
It is true that some of the song titles conjure up images of the black arts (noticably 'Don't Break the Circle' and 'Total Possession') but the songs themselves are wonderfully tight pieces with lyrics that have more to say than most of the bands around at the time.
Track Listing
1 - Observation
2 - Don't Break the Circle
3 - Spell
4 - Total Possession
5 - Sign of a Madman
6 - Victim of Fortune
7 - Have We Been Here Before?
8 - Strange Institution
9 - Grand Illusion
10 - Beyond the Gates
11 - Deliver Us from Evil
12 - Outro
13 - Don't Break the Circle (Remix '88)
14 - Have We Been Here Before? (Outtake Mix)
15 - Victim of Fortune (Outtake Mix)
16 - Strange Institution (Outtake Mix)
The CD begins with some traditional eerie sound-effects to try and set the scene underscored by a slow, mournful tune which is a shame really as this kind of gives you the wrong impression and would cause most to just turn off the CD player and go and do something less boring instead.
If you just ignore the rather insipid scene-setting and wait until 'Don't Break the Circle' you will discover a really deep song by a band of musicians playing more than the standard 4-riff piece with a touch more class and sophistication than bands such as the aforementioned Venom could have ever achieved.
'Have We been here Before?' breaks away from the dark subject matter and questions reincarnation set against a lively backdrop of guitars and drums. The happiness is not long lived though as 'Strange Institution', a tale of a man with 'just a machine between him and his maker' comes along and sings of the futility of life - a brilliant song and the best track on the album.
The booklet contained within the CD is filled with the lyrics for all the material and interspersed are a few black and white shots that appeared on the original LP version plus 2 others.
There are two complaints though - the bonus material is practically obsolete as no track stands out as being markedly different from its original, although true Demon afficianados may say something different, and the back cover of the CD has one track missing completely from the list of songs on offer!?! The booklet inside lists all the tracks but this is no excuse for such a glaring error.
Demon are still around but stick mainly to mainland Europe where they appear to be better appreciated. It's a shame they never got the credit they deserved though, some of their work is just fantastic.
Summary: Great album from one of Englands unnoticed
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