Demon - Cemetery Junction (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Melodic Rock

Label - Spaced Out Music

Track listing:

01 - Are You Just Like Me (Spirit of Man)
02 - Life in Berlin
03 - Turn on the Magic
04 - The Best Is Yet to Come
05 - Queen of Hollywood
06 - Thin Disguise
07 - Cemetery Junction
08 - Drive
09 - Miracle
10 - Out of Control
11 - Someone's Watching You

DEMON are true British legends, and quite possibly the most underrated metal band of all time! Having originally burst onto the scene as part of the infamous NWoBHM scene back in the late 70's early 80's, Demon have constantly delivered outstanding bodies of work, and are now releasing their brand spanking new album, Cemetery Junction through Spaced Out Music.
Never ones to repeat themselves, Demon have proved time and time again that they are as good as - if not better - than their peers, even if they aren’t a household name.
"Cemetery Junction" may just change this lack of notoriety though, carefully crafted, this 11 track rocking CD is something the band are immensely proud of, and rightfully so, whilst the phrase 'All Killer-No Filler' is thrown around a lot, never has it been more true than in this instance.
From the opening track 'Are You Just Like Me', it’s clear that the band are firing on all cylinders, and demand your full and undivided attention.
Vocalist Dave Hill may be the only constant since the bands inception, but that doesn’t mean the band have lost any of their sound, in fact, they are possibly one of the few bands who have managed to maintain their signature sound but as well as adapting it according to times and keeping the identity of each member intact.
Neil Ogden and Ray Walmsley who provide the rhythm section are clearly identifiable, Paul Hume / David Cotterill both have unique playing styles when it comes to the twin guitar work, Karl Waye has an individual sound on the keyboard that is different to his predecessors, and time itself has been kind to Hill, his voice is as strong as it was in the '80s now with more melodic arrangements.
Closing the CD is 'Some’s Watching You', almost a reprise to the supernatural themes that Demon were known for in their early years, a haunting almost nursery rhyme-esque track that sends shivers down your spine.
This throwback shows that at heart, this is still the band that emerged in the '80s, but now in 2016, they have come a long way, but they’ve still got a long way to go. In their last release Unbroken, Demon's the message was clear; the band are unbroken, they are still standing despite the trials and tribulations.
With "Cemetery Junction", the band have stated themselves that 'The Best Is Yet To Come', these aren’t empty words either, the band have stuck to their guns through thick and thin and only they know what’s around the corner.


Rating: 10/10

LAWLESS - R.I.S.E. (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Melodic Rock

Label -

 

Track listing:

01. 1914 (Ghosts of No Man's Land)
02. Pain
03. Rise
04. Twisted and Burned
05. Song for a Friend
06. Kiss My Glass
07. Dead Man Walking
08. Heavens Raining
09. How Long
10. Diamond in the Rough
11. Is This the End of the World

########################## The following review is not my work but I reproduce it here as I couldn't agree more. All credit to the original author ####################################

Both stalwarts from legendary act Demon, Paul Hume and Neil Ogden, decided a couple of years ago to try something different, still hard rocking and classic inspired but more modern & dynamic, and LAWLESS born. After a very good debut, they are back with their sophomore release "R.I.S.E." released today.
So, what have the Lawless boys served up for their second effort? Can it live up to the first record?
Well it's a resounding YES from me.
As with their debut Rock Savage, "R.I.S.E." is another mission accomplished for Lawless, but better and augmented. Sharp riffs and a brisk rhythm section keep things heavy and steady, significantly forgoing a powerful sound but not without significant groove and melody.
Lawless mix classic hard rock with classic British metal, something that blurs the lines between the two, always with melody as main focus.
Opening the album with an anthemic rocking tribute – full of passion and genuine pride called "1914 (Ghosts of No Mans Land)" honouring the brave soldiers who fought during the Great War which ties the album into the centenary celebrations - Lawless head into the what would once be classed as NWoBHM, yet more modern.
But as heard later in some songs in this style - like "Pain" or in "How Long, Lawless cannot escape adding strong a melody to each track and, somewhat surprisingly at times, rich vocal harmonies. Notable for this is the ballad "Song For A Friend".
There's also a very good classic Brit metal in "Dead Man Walking", akin '80s Black Sabbath / Tony Martin, awesome track for sure.
But there's another side of Lawless; classic hard rock.
"The End of the World" is very classy with a distinct bass line you hear from the start, alongside another clever vocal arrangement. This is a remarkable Lawless strength; the vocals are consistently good and don't follow the same formula, they change to suit the music.
Another standout cut in this vein is "Kiss My Glass", significant for it's American groove wrapped in a liveliness in the Damn Yankees style. A highlight.
Then "Diamond In The Rough" brings some 'US Whitesnake' to the table with a terrific chorus and a pump recalling as well Thunder.
"R.I.S.E." is a killer, solid heavy rock album with bits of classic British metal thrown in and a stadium hard rock feel here and there.
Lawless stays the course of their debut but this time more meaty, consistent, and succeeds with their melodic and metalish hard rock. The vocals are top notch, Howie G's delivers blistering guitar solos in the vein of Dave Meniketti (Lawless has much of Y&T in their sound) and production is crisp, punchy as it should be for this kind of material.
I think any classic hard rock / metal fan would find something to appreciate here. Definitely worth getting hold of.

Highly Recommended.
Rating - 8/10

Lawless - Rock Savage (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Melodic Metal / Melodic Rock
Label - Escape Records

Track listing:

01. Heavy Metal Heaven

02. Black Widow Ladies
03. F.O.A.D.
04. Misery
05. SOS
06. Rock n Roll City
07. Step In
08. Scream
09. Pretender
10. Where Heroes Fall
11. Metal Time


Lawless are a new band founded by veterans from the UK scene.
Featuring Neil Ogden who has been hitting the skins in cult legends Demon since 2002 and his more recent bandmate there Paul Hume (vocals, guitar), plus Persian Risk guitarist Howie G and bassist Josh Williams (Headrush), they have created a dynamic, crisp-sounding rockin' album.
At first glance, you could suspect that Lawless plays heavy metal or NWOBHM due the guy's pedegree, the cover artwork and some track titles here: "Heavy Metal Heaven" or "Metal Time" for instance.
Well, not at all. "Rock Savage" is pure '80s British Melodic Hard Rock with some melodious hard 'n heavy touches but you know, what was considered 'heavy' in the eighties, nowadays it's just hard rock.
This is certainly old school MHR with a fantastic modern production, melodic and catchy choruses together with lots of big riffs and sweet solos from Howie G (his sound set is truly amazing). Hume’s vocals are ideally suited to the style of music (although in my honest opinion they are the weakest link here, I would have loved them to have recruited Demons Dave Hill to handle the vocal duties!), and the rhythm section is fat and bombastic at places.
Groovy, contagious cuts like "SOS", "Scream", "Rock 'n' Roll City" or the Skin (UK Rockers) sounding "Step In" are arena-ready quality anthems, the driving "Heavy Metal Heaven" is bloody melodious akin early Thunder, and "F.O.A.D." puts the pedal to the metal a bit, but the chorus is really commercial.
"Black Widow Ladies"  is a Whitesnake-esque mid tempo monster, there's soaring melodies on the punchy-razor "Misery", then "Pretender" rocks with a Pretty Maids vibe enriched by great harmony vocals and punctuating riffs.
"Where Heroes Fall" is a high class ballad never losing the band's muscular approach and showcasing Hume's more emotional side (he's a solid singer for sure), before closer "Metal Time", an ode to the genre, begins as an amusing Twisted Sister joke developing into a Y&T sounding rocker packed with melting riffs and terrific solos all over. Another favorite of mine.
"Rock Savage" is a fun, catchy, and extremely effective Melodic Hard Rock recording in a typical British style, just as it should be
All songs are instantly likeable, focused on catchy vocal melodies backed by soaring harmonies and meaty riffs, all driven by pounding bass lines and a thumping drum work. The sound is awesomely polished helped by a crisp production and a superb mix (listen with headphones and then tell me).

Surprisingly killer debut by Lawless.

Highly Recommended

Rating 9/10

Demon - Unboken (2012)

Genre - Hard Rock / Heavy Metal / NWoBHM
Label - Spaced Out Music

Track listing-

01 - Prey (Intro)

02 - Prey
03 - Shine A Light
04 - Unbroken
05 - Wings Of Steel
06 - Fill Your Head With Rock
07 - Take Me To Your Leader
08 - Private Lives
09 - We Can Make It
10 - What About The Night
11 - I Still Believe

Founded in UK at the end of the seventies by lyricist/vocalist Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner, DEMON is one of the most musically interesting and socially aware hard rock bands of their age. Breaking through at the heart NWoBHM movement with albums like Night Of The Demon and The Unexpected Guest Demons sound probably had more in common with the likes of Europe and Bon Jovi than Iron Maiden and Saxon. Despite a huge and loyal fan base and critical acclaim over the years things never really took off on the same scale as it did for  their contemporaries, mores the pity because Demon have recorded some great songs over the years and many a great album.

Unbroken is Demon's first new album since 2005’s ‘Better the Devil You Know’ and it sees them back, for the most part, to a classic hard rock/metal sound. There is a little prog in the opener the uptempo Prey, and its intro piece, which shows vocalist Dave Hill is still in fine vocal fettle. Joining Hill on writing duties are keyboards player Paul Farrington (although his keys are often way in the background) and drummer Neil Ogden. Shine A Light continues the powerful dynamic feel as the album starts to form and take a hold of you. The vocals are raucous and the solo is on fire.

Title track Unbroken is pretty much a reference to the band's longevity and unbroken spirit. A bit of a  different animal than the previous, more melodic and harmonic, although the main guitar riff is blistering!
Wings of Steel is a keyboard laden tune which shouldn't come as much of a surprise as Hill wrote it with the keyboard player. It simply has one of the most breathtaking choruses on the entire album,  another great Demon epic  and what a bloody guitar solo!
Fill Your Head With Rock is an anthem about Sweden Rock Festival that the band has played on a number of occasions. It really goes to show that these veterans still know how to rock!
Take Me To Your Leader continues the bands / Dave Hill's fascination with ET life and space. The track is spacey but rocking too, with a big thick, multi-tracked vocal in the chorus that sticks out.

Private Lives is another track that Dave has written with keyboard player Paul Farrington, musically pretty melodic rock oriented and clever lyrics about the whole instant celebrity cult and paparazzi thing. A great polished sound here, a truly great song.
The very melodious and rhythmical midtempo We Can Make It, (If We All Try) tells another beautiful story, followed by What About The Night drenched in luscious keys, a classy 'theatrical' Demon tune deliciously devilish fun.

Finally I Still Believe is a lighters and a hands in the air anthem written in the trademark Demon way, a ballad yes, but ardent and powerful.

Unbroken is one of the strongest albums that Demon have put out in their entire career, and really does deserve some massive mainstream attention.
If you like melodic well written hard rock / metal executed to perfection then check this album out!

Rating - 10/10