Interview with DEMON

The Band: Demon

Country: UK

The Man: Dave Hill (vocals and founding member)

https://www.facebook.com/DemonBandOfficial

http://the-demon.com/

Interview by Vpower

NWOBHM captured the imagination of those disillusioned with disco, put-off by punk and nonplussed by the emerging New-Romantics. It also brought forth: DEMON. Formed during the first wave of NWOBHM by lyricist/vocalist Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner. In 1980 they released their first single, 'Liar', in a limited edition run of just 5000 copies,  the 

beginning of an incredible story, still counting. They got the Which CD Certificate for Best Heavy Metal Album of 1989, that year they beat The Cult and Guns n’Roses, with the awesome and magic “Taking the World by Storm”, just remixed now with a superb sound. And who better to tell us about it that the eternal voice of the band, Dave Hill.

  

Hello Dave! let’s start for the present. In 2012 you released your last studio album till now, “Unbroken”. What is the activity of the band right now and what plans you have for the future?

Hi Alberto, since the release of Unbroken we have been recording a new album which we hope to release in the middle of 2016, we are also doing some live shows in Italy and Germany in March and hope to add more soon.

 

Great, let's wait for the new album. But even if you don’t compose new songs, you are always able to do a good gig around, aren’t you? I have seen you only one time in the KIT fest, in 2010 if i’m not wrong, it was a wonderful experience, you put so much energy on it...

2010 was the only time we have played in Spain to date but hopefully a promoter will book us to perform there again as we really enjoyed being in your country.

If you had to chose a live show of yours it would be?

Kit fest, Sweden Rock, Hamburg the Docks our first gig in Athens, Germany, Bang your Head festival and to many to mention

Well, now let’s get some history lessons, going back to the roots of Demon. In 981 you released “Night of the Demon” and one year later “The Unexpected Guest”. Those albums put you straight to the top of the nwobhm along some bands as Holocaust, Samson, Angel Witch, etc. So many years later, what do you remember of that time?

I remember the NWOBHM being a very exciting time, rock was alive on the streets of Britain, there were so many venues where we could play and for a time the Independent labels were more powerful than the major company's

I suppose there were some British bands whom you got a especial relationship, right?

Most of the bands who came through that era we became friends with and still are, we play on many festivals with Saxon, Tigers of Pantang, Diamond Head, Samson to name just a few.

Any especial guy or musician that had impressed you?

Really too many to mention.

One of the most amazing things about Demon is that you never stopped in the same station twice, your sound continued to grow and develop from those initial years. This is something that made you different from most of the British bands of your time

When we formed Demon in 1980 we decided we wanted to be an album band and offer our fans something different with each new release  have always believed that doing that would challenge us to be a better artist and maybe make a contribution to music, which has always been our ambition.

So, with the years you delivered milestones as “British Standard Approved”, “Hold on to the Dream” or “Taking the World by Storm”. If you have to chose one of those to record a second part it would be...?

I think I would have to say Taking the World by Storm, this is an album we have just remixed from the original 24” MULTITRACK tapes and Re-mastered,  to me it's an epic album and now sounds fuller and bigger.

I great chance to put the hands on it again! Talking about it, in the booklet of my edition it tells the story of how Demon recorded the album in the same studio Black Sabbath was using at that time and all the paranormal things that were going on around... What do you remember of it?

Demon and Black Sabbath in the same studios, they were mixing Headless Cross and we were mixing  the original TTWBS in 1989, we were mixing What do you think about Hell when all the lights in the studio flashed on and off and went off, the‎ computer overloaded and failed, this happened at midnight. The next morning there was garlic, holy water and crosses placed all around the studio to keep away any evil spirits, and so it began.

Hahaha Awesome... Dave Hill is right now the only founding member in the band. Without him Demon would not be, probably. How do you see all those years and your life linked to this music? How do you feel about it?

In the 35 years that Demon as been active I am very proud of the music we have made and the places we have travelled and look forward to the future.

How do you see the Metal nowadays? Is the future of Metal in good hands or we need more Demons?

I think that Classic Rock, Metal etc is as popular as ever, and the future of the music is in safe hands.

Something that had surprised you from the new emerging bands?

Too many to mention, but rock never surprises me

How important has been the song One Helluva Night in your career? I would say that every big band needs or has a Metal hymn. Is that yours?

One Hell of a Night is a song we have always featured in live sets, and I consider it to be important to us, but the one song that is 1 Demons anthem is Don’ t Break the Circle, is known throughout the world where ever we play.

That's right! What is that thing that you would have liked to do but you never were able, as a band?

We have been very fortunate to be able to perform our music throughout the world and would love to reach the countries where the Demon experience as never been heard.

I haven’t this info, so I ask ayou, have you ever played in Spain before? If not, I think it would be worth the travel, don’t you think so?

We would love to come back to Spain to perform again, as we’ ve only played once in all our years

Thank you very much for you attention, Dave, it was a pleasure

Many thanks Alberto and the people of Spain who have taken the time to listen to the music of Demon, we hope to thank you all in person when we return to your country in the near future

Cheers

Dave Hill