Back in the early ‘80s, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement was a dominant force in reshaping the genre of heavy music around the globe. Of course, while bands like Iron Maiden would go on to massive commercial success, also gaining attention were Saxon, Angel Witch, Raven, among a worthy list of many others. Truly a legendary time for Heavy Metal music, one of those who were rather significant to the era were Leek, Staffordshire’s Demon.
Formed in 1979, Demon was an early arrival to the NWOBHM scene and packed a relatively powerful punch with their first two albums; 1981’s Night of the Demon and 1982’s The Unexpected Guest. Dressed with memorable tracks like “Night of the Demon” and “Don’t Break the Circle,” the band was perhaps a bit underrated, but no less a vital part of this period. Interestingly their sound would shift toward more Progressive Rock with 1983’s The Plague and 1985’s British Standard Approved, however, those who have paid attention to this band’s history know they never were intimidated into staying in one position. In fact, over the years that Demon has existed, you could say no two albums are exactly alike; plus if you dig deeper there is a lot of interesting material to uncover. Impressive, even more head-turning is that Demon has sustained themselves for 45 years and now celebrate this anniversary in 2024 with the release of Invincible.
Set for release on May 17th through Frontiers Music s.r.l., Invincible is Demon’s 14th overall studio album and their first in nearly 8 years. The last full-length being 2016’s Cemetery Junction, it should be noted that while the band has always and forever been led by Vocalist Dave Hill, he has sustained by and large the same cast of musicians for over 10 years now. Here you have Drummer Neil Ogden and Keyboardist Karl Waye, a part of the fold for over 20 years, Guitarist Dave Cotterill and Paul Hume on board for 10 to 15 years, plus former Saxon Bassist Paul Fasker Johnson who joined on officially in 2022. Finding strength in stability, together they wrote/produced the new songs that make up Invincible and it is safe to say they once again changed up the direction of the music.
Somewhere in between Progressive Hard Rock and Traditional Heavy Metal, over the course of 12 tracks Demon keeps a consistent level of energy that is exciting and equally interesting. Heavy, yet bright and colorful in terms of the production, the guitar riffs are thick, melodic, and engaging. On top of this, Hill puts on a powerful vocal performance that matches any of his earlier outputs from past Demon records. As mentioned, really all over the Rock-n-Roll spectrum through the decades, in many ways Invincible marries each era of Demon all into one fitting hybrid.
Something long time fans will enjoy, but also which will appeal to those who know the name Demon but perhaps never gave them a full listen, Invincible is Progressive Heavy Metal with a Classic Rock twist. This in mind, some of the boldest winners of the new collection include the very old school sounding “In My Blood,” the single “Face the Master,” an up-tempo “Beyond the Dark Side,” and a very uplifting “Rise Up.” These few offerings mentioned to hook you into Invincible, in all, it is really an album that should be listened to as a whole piece so that you pick which tracks hit you the hardest. In truth, most will probably stick with you because the universal message here is about triumph, fighting to live another day, and remaining hopeful, even in your darkest hour.
Overall, Demon celebrate 45 years of Heavy Metal in a big way with the release of Invincible. As mentioned, 8 years removed from their last album, it seems as if they wanted to do something memorable that paid homage to their past while showing Demon is still as vital as ever. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Invincible 4 out of 5 stars.
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