NIGHT DEMON - OUTSIDER CD Review

Mar 26, 2023

Ventura, California’s Traditional Heavy Metal band Night Demon returns with their third full-length album, Outsider, via Century Media Records on March 17, 2023. Outsider is the band's first full-blown concept album and the first original release since 2017's Darkness Remains. Night Demon has been extremely busy touring in support of their singles compilation, Year of the Demon, released in 2022.

Night Demon Bio

The band was formed in 2011 by Jarvis Leatherby and guitarist Brent Woodward. In 2013, Night Demon released their self-titled, Night Demon, EP on Reining Records and later released on CD by Shadow Kingdom Records. Patrick Bailey and John Crerar filled the drum seat early on until Dusty Squires took control of the kit in 2013. Night Demon's first full-length release, Curse of the Damned was released in January 2015.

Original guitarist Brent Woodward parted ways with the band in 2016. Sound Engineer, Armand John Anthony performed with Night Demon as a fill-in during shows in 2013 leading him to be the permanent replacement and current guitarist. In 2017, Night Demon released their second album, Darkness Remains leading to many positive reviews worldwide. Night Demon released a live album in 2018, Live Darkness.

The Story of The Outsider

Outsider sets the stage at an abandoned church and graveyard overlooking the sea in Ireland. The story is a fully cohesive tale of alternate realities, mysterious portals, and
the supernatural, intertwined with universal human feelings of alienation, loss, regret, and revenge. The cover art of the album fully illustrates all aspects of the story within Outsider.

It is important to note that on the CD version of the album, the very last track "The Last Day," has nothing to do with the story told in Outsider. "The Last Day" was written for a Decibel Magazine flexi-vinyl series in 2022. Decibel Magazine had an exclusivity period to this song but once the exclusivity period ended, "The Last Day" was added to the CD version of the album.

Jarvis introduces new elements to the songwriting yet maintains familiar aspects of the Night Demon sound. The album runtime is 35 minutes spanned across 8 songs (digital version, add in the bonus track and the runtime is just under 38 minutes). To embrace the full emotional range of the story, the songwriting brings in progressive elements and a newfound sense of dynamics that help to paint the emotional story within Outsider.

The Journey

The album opens with the instrumental track, "Prelude" which crescendos into the title track and immediately hits you straight into the hook of the chorus of "Outsider". "Outsider" is the lead single and is the traditional in-your-face, head-banging Traditional Heavy Metal. "Obsidian" keeps the traditional Night Demon upper mid-tempo pace. The next track, "Beyond the Grave" brings out a darker, solemn, yet progressive side of Night Demon with one of the slower tempo songs on the album. Very depressing feel to the song and flows very well in the story with a brief up-tempo solo burst in the middle of the song adding a deeper dynamic.

"Rebirth" and "Escape from Beyond" pick up the tempo across both of these songs. "Escape From Beyond" features a melodic chorus and a good hook that is very easy to sing to. The story concludes with the longest song Night Demon has ever done to date clocking in at over seven minutes. "The Wrath" takes the listener on a rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and lows.

The Good

Night Demon's third album delivers traditional in-your-face Heavy Metal yet adds new progressive elements. Production is done very well as every musician is well-balanced throughout. Anthony's fretboard work is fluid, and emotional at times, yet powerful and in your face. Jarvis's vocal performance is done very well yet showing how much he has pushed the boundaries of what Night Demon is capable of doing. Dusty Squires's performance is solid and worthy of praise.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QReBsOvk3YM[/embed]

Final Thoughts

Night Demon's third album Outsider is the most dynamic release to date yet maintains its position as one of Heavy Metal's elite Power Trio. The introduction of the progressive elements to the songs not only shows the potential of what these guys can do but they have done it very well!

Track Listing