Demon - The Plague (1983) {2020, Japanese Limited Edition, Remastered}

Reviews

oparin 1954 May 4, 2018:
The Plague saw Demon moving away from the Devilish themes of their previous two LPs into more socially and politically contentious areas. The introduction of keyboards resulted in a sophisticated and polished sound, and the band's finest songwriting to date. A glorious concept album of intelligent and highly innovative rock music.

Stephen Meyer June 29, 2022:
'The Plague' is most likely Demon's finest hour; and that's saying something given that the band has released about a dozen good to great albums over the years. In spite of being perpetually linked with the NWOBHM movement, Demon was rarely full-on metal (other than perhaps the second album 'The Unexpected Guest') and much closer in concept to a 'heavy Pink Floyd' than contemporaries Saxon, Motorhead, Venom, early Maiden et al.. On 'The Plague', writers Mal Spooner (late guitarist) and vocalist Dave Hill (the only constant throughout the band's career) don't display chops in line with of say King Crimson or Rush, but comprise a highly entertaining and catchy suite of songs linked around what seems to be the concept of state/societal repression of human nature. Recommended for those who appreciate heavy prog bands that 'trim the fat' and focus on effective songs above all else.

Simone Appolloni December 11, 2020:
The band’s 1983 album, The Plague, is their last one with guitarist Mal Spooner, who died the following year at age 39: musically, it features more Genesis-like keyboards by session producer Andy Richards, Synth Pop influences and less Deep Purple-like tendencies. “The Writings on the Wall” is an excellently melodic piece that recalls at the same time Supertramp, Led Zeppelin and Yes at their most epic, and even the eight cut manages to sound close, with its galloping rhythms: the rest sounds more middle of the road, but the increased technique and great use of choruses and dynamics makes up for a terrific album, a sort of hidden masterpiece of 80’s Progressive Metal.