The beast of a band known as NIGHT DEMON have been non-stop in recent years. With countless shows across the globe and now a new album out known as ‘Outsider’ the band are on a mission with full guns blazing! And with more tours planned for the rest of 2023 there is no stopping for Night Demon!

THE NWOTHM: Thank you so much for this great opportunity! Can you introduce us to the band and where you guys are from? 

N.D: We are from Ventura, California.  60 miles north of Los Angeles.  We play Heavy Metal \m/

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us about the origins of your band and how you came together?

N.D: Just three guys with a deep love for the NWOBHM sound.  Our only goal was to make a 4 song EP that would stand up to the classic metal sound coming out of England between the years 1979-1982.  Beyond that we had no ambitions for Night Demon.  We really didn’t think anyone would care about what we were doing.  Thankfully we were wrong about that.

THE NWOTHM: What initially drew you to heavy metal music as a genre? 

N.D: The imagery first, then the guitar stylings.  It’s the perfect match.  Lyrical themes came next.  Many heavy metal bands were singing about the darker side of life.  Things that a suburban kid like myself yearned to learn more about.  The things behind the veil.

THE NWOTHM: Are there any specific bands or musicians who have influenced your sound and style?

N.D: Night Demon’s sound is basically anything NWOBHM along with a mixture of Metallica, Maiden, Black Sabbath, Misfits, Thin Lizzy, and Scorpions.

THE NWOTHM: What can you tell us about your previous full length releases ‘Cursed of the Damned’ and ‘Darkness Remains.’ If I was listening to Night Demon for the first time which songs would you direct me to and why?

N.D: I would start with Curse of the Damned.  There’s a natural progression to all of our releases.  Really you should start from the beginning with the self titled EP.  That really captures the sound of innocence and purity.

THE NWOTHM: What do you guys like to do outside of the band? Any interesting hobbies?

N.D: Not too much actually.  I personally enjoy screenwriting as a hobby.  That has also lent itself to creating stories and lyrical content behind our music.

THE NWOTHM: Any nerds in the band at all?

N.D: Nope!

THE NWOTHM: Your artworks have always been unique? Can you tell us where you got the idea for the bands art direction?

N.D: Horror movies, classic heavy metal artwork, and occult novels

THE NWOTHM: You recently released you new album ‘Outsider’ which has been positively received by fans! What can you tell us about the new album?

N.D: Its a concept album from start to finish.  It follows the story of a young man named Johnny who grows up in an insular town surrounded by a mysterious green mist.  Anyone who has left the town previously has never been seen or heard from again.  Johnny decides to venture off into the green mist, only to find himself back in the same town, but in an alternate reality where everyone is completely different.  He runs into an alternate version of himself, and must dispose of him and assume his alternate’s identity, all while trying to get back to his real world.  The album is not a long drawn out It gets straight to the point, and does so in just i under 35 minutes in total running time.

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us more about the writing and recording process behind the album and how the songs came about?

N.D: The pandemic was actually a big help, believe it or not.  We had done 600 shows in the prior 4 years leading up to it.  This gave us a forced and necessary break to able to take the time to write such a challenging album.  The biggest hurdle was writing music to the theme and storyline.  Usually it goes the other way around.  I’m very proud of the results.

THE NWOTHM: And who produced the album?

N.D: We did it all ourselves.  Just the three band members.  Our guitarist Armand John Anthony also recorded the entire thing.  We never had anyone else in the studio with us.

THE NWOTHM: Where did the idea for the artwork come from? 

N.D: Directly from the storyline.  It’s based on an actual physical location in Ireland at an abandoned church with an adjoining graveyard.

THE NWOTHM: The ‘Outsider’ music video is kickass? How did you choose the idea and director for the video?

N.D: We just wanted to do something very basic.  The band playing live in a white room.  That’s about as simple as it gets.  We knew that we weren’t going to be able to tell the entire story of the album in music videos, so we just went with the band playing live.  Easy.  

THE NWOTHM: Are there any plans for future collaborations with other artists or bands? 

N.D: We did put out a live 7” single with Uli Jon Roth where we covered a couple of Scorpions classics live on stage with him in Germany.,  That was pretty mind blowing!  Neil Young does a lot of studio work literally next door to us, so doing something with him has been on our minds a lot, lately.  I really hope that comes to fruition somehow.

THE NWOTHM: How do you approach your live performances and engage with your audience? 

N.D: We really just give it everything we have.  I’m proud that we are known as one of the most exciting and energetic live bands.  I think it comes from a point of desperation that we feel within.  We are also huge fans of music, so we try hard to do everything on stage that we want our favourite bands to do.

THE NWOTHM: What has been your most memorable live performance or tour experience so far, and why?

N.D: Definitely the Uli Jon Roth thing we did in Germany stands out, but laying Wacken and Rock Hard a few times was equally as satisfying.  There’s been so many gigs and stand out moments, its really hard to pin down any single moment, but it’s been a wild ride for sure.  One time in Vancouver on the Raven tour a guy cam on stage and tried to fight me.  That was fun, LOL

THE NWOTHM: What touring plans do you have for the rest of 2023?

N.D: A few festivals in the summer, some one offs in the states in August, then to Newfoundland, headlining European tour in September, San Diego Metal Swap Meet, Mexico Metal Fest in Monterrey, then support Michael Schenker on his UK tour.

THE NWOTHM: Where can fans buy your music and merch?

N.D: nightdemonheavymetal.net/shop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nightdemonband

Bandcamp: https://nightdemon.bandcamp.com/

THE NWOTHM: Anything else you would like to mention?

N.D: If you have a passion or a dream, you need to go for it.  Whatever sets your heart on fire is for you and nobody else.  People will often tell you that the things you want to do in your life are not good enough, not smart, or not even possible.  That’s their own insecurities talking.  Just give them a hug, and keep going with the things that make you truly happy.