Night Demon

Night Demon is a classic-sounding heavy metal power trio whose energetic, riff-centric take on the genre descends directly from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Their spare, bruising early recordings like 2015's Curse of the Damned stuck close to the sound of their influences, but by the time of 2017's Darkness Remains, they'd added complexity to the songs and increased the production values. The record's success meant the band was a must-have at metal festivals worldwide in the years that followed. On the trio's third effort, they delved into the time-honored tradition of the concept album: 2023's Outsider dealt with alternate realities and the supernatural as well as all-too-real issues of isolation and despair. Night Demon was born as a quartet in 2011 with bassist/vocalist Jarvis Leatherby and guitarist Brent Woodward, and drummers John Crerar and Patrick Bailey. This lineup released a self-titled EP in 2013 (recorded by future member Anthony) that won almost universal positive notice from the global metal press because of its reliance on innovation despite its throwback sound. That September, drummer Dusty Squires (ex-New Liberty) replaced both Crerar and Bailey. In October they hit the road as a trio and opened for Diamond Head and Raven in Las Vegas. The band signed to Century Media/Steamhammer in late 2014 and began recording almost immediately with co-producers Roger Camero (who also mixed) and Armand Tambouris. Curse of the Damned, the band's debut album, was released in January and, like most of their peers, they also relied on spare productions to resurrect the NWOBHM vibe. Night Demon's success was due to their considerable songwriting and arranging qualities, buoyed by excellent sound and musical economy. They played the Ragnarök Metal Apocalypse in Chicago, Illinois that April and embarked on a six-week European tour that included appearances at the Keep It True Festival (Germany), the Pounding Metal Festival (Spain), and the Muskelrock Festival (Sweden). In January 2016, Woodward left the band and was replaced by guitarist Armand John Anthony (who had engineered their debut EP). Anthony had played with Squires in New Liberty and was an ace-in-the-hole, as his approach to playing was derived from the very sources Night Demon held as their creative inspiration. Anthony was also a solid songwriter and a skilled studio engineer. This trio played 100 shows between the album's release and early 2017 across the U.S. and Europe -- including a well-received appearance at Germany's Bang Your Head!!! Festival -- and a 19-show South American tour. Night Demon recorded Darkness Remains, their sophomore long-player, at the tail-end of 2016 between touring commitments. They completed it in January. Co-engineered by Anthony and producer Camero, the album followed a celebrated March release of the video single "Welcome to the Night." Once more, reviews were celebratory, offering kudos for the group's complex yet always accessible songwriting, tight interplay, massive riffs, and a larger-than-life production sound that nonetheless offered plenty of space. The band toured North America and Europe, and the British Isles, with high-profile concert appearances at festivals including Ozzfest, Rock Hard Festival, Summer Breeze Open Air, Keep It True, Defenders of the Old, and Frost & Fire. Night Demon headlined the Cleveland Metal Holiday Food Drive that December. The show was recorded in front of a sell-out crowd at The Beachland Ballroom and released as the triple-length Live Darkness in August 2018. The road became the trio's home in 2018 and 2019. They played their own touring gigs, festivals, and luxury "metal" cruises. In March 2019, Night Demon headlined the Hell Over Hammaburg Festival in Germany. At this gig, founding Scorpions' guitarist Uli Jon Roth joined the band on-stage for an encore consisting of his former group's "In Trance" and "Top of the Bill" from 1975. In November and December 2019, Night Demon played a five-week tour of Europe supporting Sacred Reich. As the pandemic raged across the globe during the winter and spring of 2020, Night Demon released their first new music in three years with the single "Empires Fall," featuring a cover of "Fast Bikes" by obscure NWOBHM band Le Griffe on the flip. In May 2020, they released "Kill the Pain" b/w a cover of Cirith Ungol's "100 mph." Three more limited-edition singles followed: "Are You Out There" b/w a cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Sun Goes Down" appeared in June; "Vysteria" b/w a cover of Iron Maiden's "Wasted Years" hit the internet and stores in July; and "In Trance" b/w "Top of the Bill," both recorded live with Roth) was issued in August. All the singles' physical printings sold out immediately. Further, the band refused to issue the covers digitally. They addressed the scarcity issue with the release of the compilation Year of the Demon in March 2022. It collects all ten songs from the standalone singles with striking artwork from Don Phury. Night Demon toured for the remainder of 2022, playing a slew of previously unheard new material. In January of the following year, Night Demon released "Outsider," the first track from their concept offering of the same title. They followed it with "Escape from Beyond," another album track. In March, Century Media released Outsider, the band's third studio album. Written and produced by Night Demon (with lyrics by Leatherby), the album concept revolved around plotted alternate realities, mysterious, extra-dimensional portals, and the supernatural interspersed with feelings of alienation, loss, regret, and revenge. Leatherby's lyrics were inspired by his love of horror films on one hand, and by the depth of his isolation during the pandemic on the other, as he was exiled in the haunting countryside of Northern Ireland. Musically, the set reflected the sheer amount of practice each member had undertaken during their forced time apart. The album was released as Night Demon were touring Europe and Japan.
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