On March 25th, Southern California metal masters NIGHT DEMON will release a special compilation album – titled Year of the Demon. Comprised of the band’s five standalone 7″ singles from 2020, this 10-track collection features original songs, cover tunes, and previously unheard live recordings. For a preview of the record, Night Demon has launched a new single – a cover version of Thin Lizzy‘s classic “The Sun Goes Down” – which can be heard HERE.
Jarvis Leatherby (Vocals / Bass) comments:
“2020 was certainly the ‘Year of the Demon’ in so many ways! Never in our wildest imagination would we be releasing (5) 7″ singles in a calendar year, and nowhere in our fans’ imagination would one of the hardest touring bands of the last decade be sidelined (along with the rest of the world) by this virus that demonized our lives. We are proud to finally release these songs as a complete collection and include the rare B-sides that only saw the light of day on the collector’s record player. Here’s to 2022 and the future bringing us all something more to hope for. We have a lot more to come this year!”
Year of the Demon format details:
Digital Album, Ltd. CD Edition, Black LP, Silver LP [limited run: available at Nuclear Blast (100 units) and USA outlets (1000 units)], Lilac LP [limited run: available at CM Distro (500 units)], Sky Blue LP [limited run: band exclusive (300 units)]
On March 25th, Southern California metal masters NIGHT DEMON will release a special compilation album, titled Year of the Demon . Comprised of the band’s five standalone 7″ singles from 2020, this 10-track collection features original songs, cover tunes, and previously unheard live recordings.
For a first preview of the record, Night Demon has launched a new single – a cover version of Cirith Ungol’s classic “100 MPH [feat. Tim Baker (Cirith Ungol)]” HERE
NIGHT DEMON are honored to unleash their new single, “In Trance” today! This single constitutes Night Demon’s fifth standalone 7” vinyl release of 2020. There is a special story behind the music and a deeper significance to how this thrilling live recording came to be.
March 2, 2019 will be remembered as one of the most important nights in Night Demon history. The location was Hamburg, Germany, long a second home for the band on their frequent European sojourns through the years. The occasion was the sold-out Hell Over Hammaburg Festival, which Night Demon had the honor of headlining. Night Demon had a special surprise up their sleeves for the Hammaburg faithful. You see, on this night they did not come alone.
For the Hammaburg gig, revered former Scorpions guitar slinger Uli Jon Roth, who was an integral part of the In Trance album in 1975, agreed to join Night Demon onstage for a two-song vintage Scorpions encore consisting of “In Trance” and “Top of the Bill.”
No one who was there that night will ever forget it. With this single, Night Demon finally release a time capsule of this extraordinary moment in physical form, the live recordings from that night featuring “In Trance” on the A-side and “Top of the Bill” on the B-side. Now heavy metal fans all over the world can experience the magic that was in the air that frigid winter night in Hamburg embedded in the grooves of this special, strictly limited vinyl release.
You think you know NIGHT DEMON? Then the Night Demon Heavy Metal podcast is for you. Step into the darkness as the band peels back the curtain to give you an unprecedented all-access look into the mind and the heart of the Demon. Topics like band history, song analysis, studio anecdotes and stories from the road will be discussed.
The sacred Night Demon crypt will be pried open to reveal demo recordings that have never before seen the light of day, all with in-depth commentary by the band and the people who were there for the writing and recording process. This is a goldmine, a treasure trove of all things Night Demon.
The Vysteria single marks Night Demon’s fourth 7” vinyl release of 2020. The song title is a fictitious word conjured by the band’s own darkened fertile imagination. It is defined as “exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement incited by the media, especially among a group of people during a pandemic.” Lyrically, the song is a clear-eyed, unflinching examination of what life has become during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. “Vysteria” is not a political statement for these emotionally charged times; however, it does single out for critical scrutiny the mass media’s role in igniting, fueling and exacerbating the virus-related fears that have gripped so many from all different walks of life, socioeconomic statuses, and cultural backgrounds. The band penned this song in late March 2020, and ensuing events have only served to reinforce and validate their observations.
Musically, “Vysteria” is as savage, hard-charging and relentlessly uncompromising as anything in Night Demon’s catalog. It has to be, really. The song channels all of our collective anger and frustration with the present state of affairs into a mighty roar, a cathartic primal scream from the rooftops.
As a special treat, the 7” vinyl version of the song features an exclusive mix by legendary producer Randy Burns, whose credits include Megadeth Peace Sells … But Who’s Buying? , as well as thrashterpieces by Possessed, Nuclear Assault, Dark Angel, Kreator and Death, among others. The Randy Burns vinyl mix is completely different than that featured on the digital / video version of “Vysteria,” which was mixed by Kurt Ballou, guitarist of seminal hardcore punk pioneers Converge. The vinyl also includes a highly prized B-side, in the form of a live rendition of Iron Maiden’s “Wasted Years.” Although “Wasted Years” has sporadically been featured as an electrifying encore to Night Demon’s live performances, this version holds particular significance for die-hard fans. You see, this recording is the lone previously unreleased track from the band’s historic set at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio on December 2, 2017, which became the acclaimed triple-live opus Live Darkness. “Wasted Years” was Night Demon’s final encore on that magical winter’s night, and the Vysteria 7” vinyl is the only place where it can be re-lived in all of its unvarnished glory.
NIGHT DEMON proudly announce the worldwide release of their new single “Are You Out There” which is the third single to be unveiled this year. Check out the lyric video HERE!
It is no secret that one of the band’s greatest influences is Thin Lizzy. Indeed, Thin Lizzy’s pioneering hard rock aesthetic is foundational to Night Demon, engrained in the band’s collective musical DNA. With this single, they celebrate the priceless legacy of Thin Lizzy, paying tribute to the iconic Irish minstrels with a pair of songs, one original and one cover. “Are You Out There” is a rollicking, feel-good tune whose hooks, melodies, vibe, and spirit were all crafted in the vein of the Dublin masters, yet still filtered through Night Demon’s signature sound. Even the subject matter of the song is related to Thin Lizzy, albeit with an autobiographical twist. Lyricist Jarvis Leatherby spins a cautionary tale about the final days of the legendary Phil Lynott, before his life was cut tragically short by drug and alcohol addiction. To be sure, “Are You Out There” may surprise longtime fans expecting a pummeling metal attack in the time-honored Night Demon tradition. But this song showcases a different side of the band, one that has always been present but perhaps obscured by the darkness and fury. Night Demon recorded “Are You Out There” at Electrical Audio in Chicago, under the watchful eye of famed rock producer Steve Albini. In keeping with the Thin Lizzy tribute theme, the B-side of Are You Out There is a suitably Demonized cover of the Lizzy classic “The Sun Goes Down.” Initially, Night Demon’s version adheres closely to the somber, moody feel of the original, only to explode into an urgent uptempo romp that indelibly etches Night Demon’s mark on the song.
The Night Demon legend continued to grow with the release of their second full-length album, Darkness Remains, in April 2017. Darkness Remains saw the band delivering all of the expected NWOBHM-inspired thrills and chills, but also honing their songwriting chops, developing more of an individual sound, sharpening their attack, and even taking a few chances along the way. The album was lauded by leading journalists, publications and webzines around the world, hauling in top honors in numerous end-of-year polls and lists. True to form, Night Demon again embarked on a grueling touring regimen, including headlining the Darkness over Europe tour and spending five weeks in Europe as direct support for German metal masters Accept. To celebrate their accomplishments thus far and document their ferocious live rituals, Night Demon released a comprehensive, career-spanning live album, Live Darkness , in August 2018. Recorded before a packed house of longtime friends and supporters in their adopted second home of Cleveland, Ohio, Live Darkness captured the band’s energy and intensity on that magical night, yielding definitive versions of the Night Demon catalog. More intensive touring followed, including a headlining appearance at the Hell Over Hammaburg Festival in Hamburg, Germany in early 2019, with special guest Uli Jon Roth joining the band for a spinetingling encore of the Scorpions classics “In Trance” and “Top of the Bill.”
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 