Demon - "The Plague - Remix 2022" Album Review by Rob H.
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Following on from the remaster of their classic debut album "Night of The Demon" and the remaster and remix of it's follow up "The Unexpected Guest" comes a brand new remix of "The Plague" completed last year.
The original release came with some mixed reviews as it was a further departure stylistically from the previous albums that rode the NWOBHM wave and had a more supernatural horror subject matter lyrically. "The Plague" saw the band explore a more Progressive sound including more prominent use of keyboards and a story based concept album format that was outlined in a starkly illustrated black and white booklet included with the original album. The album moved away from the more traditional horror themes but arguably embraced a more true to life horror of politics, a near dystopian future and of course a subject that now in these post pandemic years seems acutely prophetic!
Given that the album was released in 1983 when the so-called Neo-Prog genre was gaining popularity Demon created their own sound rather than imitating bands of the era or of the past and you could argue that it might have indeed influenced some of those artists, give "The Wedge" by Pallas a listen for instance which came out in 1986, but this change wasn't a clear commercial grab more an artistic progression.
Since it's release it has rightly become regarded as a classic and for those who have loved it for the best part of the last forty years hearing this new remix will be like hearing the album for the first time all over again. Whereas some remixes can be clumsy, brutal affairs this has remained faithful to the source and hasn't chosen to rewrite history. The whole album just sounds so much richer, fuller, louder and more distinct. The keyboards are sharp and crisp and you can fully appreciate what they bring to the party and some of the enhanced sound effects make this a great headphones listen.
It's hard to know whether to review an album that's been out nigh on forty years or to assume a level of exposure to it already. For those that aren't familiar and in this day and age of streaming the best advice would be to go listen for yourselves, check out the epic guitar on the outro to "Fever In The City", the pounding drum intro and throughout "Blackheath - Part 1 & 2", the opener and title track that will have you singing the chorus immediately (you can't go wrong it's "the Plague!"), the beautifully impassioned "The Only Sane Man" and the out and out rockers in "Nowhere To Run", "The Writings On The Wall" and "A Step Too Far". Lyrically the story is perhaps more relevant than ever and the only things that date it slightly is the mention of Evangelist Billy Graham and actress/model Mary Millington at the start of "The Writings On The Wall" and some of the other references within the same track although at the time there was already a sense of looking back with mention of "We've never had it so good" paraphrasing the Harold Macmillan speech from the late 1950's.
Closer "A Step Too Far" was the only song where the original multi-tracks couldn't be found so it receives a remaster and not the same remix that the rest of the album did however this will not detract from how great a work this is.
Currently "The Plague - Remix 2022" is only available digitally but hopefully there will be enough demand to swing a physical release, it would certainly be good to have the accompanying art insert again, and that the band continue their remix project with "British Standard Approved" which would be what we have to look forward to next if they continue working chronologically.
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