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NIGHT DEMON
Darkness Remains
2017 Century Media Records

“Piercing you with eyes of blackness, the look of handsome death … the earth grows cold as you take your last breath …”

Every once in a while, a band comes along that seems to catch lightning in a bottle. Lately, that band is Ventura, California-based power trio NIGHT DEMON. After building a huge buzz with their excellent debut album Curse Of The Damned (2015) and touring relentlessly in support of it, NIGHT DEMON was awarded Album of The Year by many reviewers, (including the listeners of WJCU in Cleveland, Ohio). NIGHT DEMON’s blue-collar work ethic is significant. Their sound is unique yet familiar, combining the heart of NWOBHM with the melody and grit of early RIOT and UFO.

NIGHT DEMON is now set to unleash their sophomore album, Darkness Remains on the world. This time, singer/bassist Jarvis Leatherby and drummer Dusty Squires are joined by new guitarist Armand John Anthony, who replaced former guitarist Brent Woodward without missing a beat.

You know you’re in for a treat from the opening guitar strains of “Welcome To The Night”. This is a perfect way to open the album, and a really good song. A video can be viewed on KNAC.COM HERE. “Hallowed Ground” follows, with a righteous riff to lead you through a fabulously melodic bridge and chorus. NIGHT DEMON’s inspiration comes mainly from the NWOBHM, which of course includes IRON MAIDEN. In fact, there’s a song on the album called “Maiden Hell” that uses IRON MAIDEN song titles as lyrics. I’ve seen this done with a few different bands before, and it’s done pretty well here (and even references IRON MAIDEN’s most recent album, The Book Of Souls).

“Stranger In The Room” starts out slowly and builds to a raucous closer, reminding me a little of THIN LIZZY with the power chords flowing from Anthony’s guitar. “Life On The Run” gets your head banging to this tale of life as a fugitive from the law. Some sweet melodic power chords and double bass drumming highlight the track.

“Dawn Rider” is another instant classic, which offers a tale of trying to outwit death. “Black Widow” is another of my favorite tracks on the album, (but you will discover that your favorite song will change daily while listening to it). “On Your Own” features another killer riff and some of the coolest backing vocals from Leatherby and the band. “Flight Of The Manticore” is an instrumental that references the legendary Persian creature. The whole band gets to show their chops on this track. The title track (and longest song) “Darkness Remains” concludes the album. This track is unlike any other song on the album, with a melancholy atmosphere and vocal effect.

I find that NIGHT DEMON is most effective when they utilize melodies, like they do in “Hallowed Ground” and “Dawn Rider”, but their straight ahead rockers also have enormous appeal. Jarvis Leatherby is the MVP here, as he has improved as a vocalist for sure, but don’t overlook his fantastic bass work. What you get with Darkness Remains are ten concise, classic heavy metal songs about darkness and demons– the way Heavy Metal should be! This album sounds amazing when you crank it up to maximum volume. My advice is to buy this album and the debut album, crank them both up as loud as they will go, and play them back-to-back. As they say: all killer, no filler. Darkness Remains will be released on April 21st.

5.0 Out Of 5.0

Pick up your copy of Darkness Remains in the KNAC.COM More Store right HERE.