By Rob Thompson
Taking their name from one of the darker tracks from Deep Purple’s back catalogue, Demon Eye currently consist of four men, two New Yorkers, two Southerners, with one shared love for old school metal. How best to describe the sound? Well, have you ever wondered what Deep Purple would sound like if they decided to play Black Sabbath covers while drinking Trooper beer? If so then you need to stop taking those types of drugs and start listening to Demon Eye. Demon Eye use a simple, but effective formula:
A * B + (C + D) = E
where:
A = colossal Sabbath riffs on each song
B = understated Ozzy influenced vocals
C = the fist banging shred of early ‘Maiden
D = Purple’s heavy grooves and thunder rhythms
E = an 8 / 10 rating from me.
The guys are making a name for themselves after sharing the stage with the likes of Loincloth, Mike Scheidt (YOB/Vohl), The Sword, Hour of 13, Pilgrim, Samothrace, Kyng, Uzala, Mount Salem, Colossus, Thunderlip, Salvación, Horseskull, and Solar Halos.
The first thing that strikes you about Leave The Light is the artwork. Two gruesome demons on each side of the cover, horns and massive pointed teeth snarl into the distance. Discernible is the silhouette of a pyramid and a hole in the universe. Perhaps they entered our dimension through this hole? Or perhaps they're leaving our dimension after annihilating it - returning back to their satanic home, dancing with glee? Who knows, but it certainly sets the scene for the music.
Generally, throughout the album the vocals are really understated in the overall mix and its actually quite difficult to discern the actual words themselves. However, I’m going to guess that they’re about the occult and all manner of evil goings on. ‘Hecate’ kicks off proceedings and the melodic almost stoner type of riff chugs into life with enough tempo changes and variation to amuse the listener. Flourishes of Maiden are present with a change in pace halfway through this first track. This opening song is the blueprint for all that comes after. ‘Shades of Black’ introduces us to screeching solos, while ‘Secret Sect’ is much more NWOBHM influenced, with the riffs being some of the best on the album. Excellent harmonising on the guitars provide a nice foundation for the complementary solos. ‘Adversary’ follows with its descending riffs which bounce around completing the excellent percussive work which. The track also includes the use of cow bells (how can you not like a track with cow bells in it). What a groovy track! ‘Edge of a Knife’ follows with its cheeky guitar breaks and use of an acoustic guitar. ‘Witch's Blood’ leads into ‘Fires of Abalam’ which channels the spirit of Sabbath. The band must have sacrificed a goat or chicken or two at the altar of Iommi to steal a few of his awesome riffs for this song. ‘Devil Knows the Truth’ has more of a vocal emphasis and ‘The Banishing’ is kind of a spaced out cosmic ballad with a rather catchy chorus. ‘From Beyond’ and then ‘Silent One’ end the album.
Overall a solid release with dark thick riffs, Sabbath solos and Maiden influences on every track. Slightly doomy and stoner at times these guys stand out from the recent onslaught of retro seventies bands with the strong songwriting on display. My only criticism is that it's probably 2 -3 songs too long but that’s excusable. With an official release date of January 24th this diabolic hard rocker should be on your Christmas wish list.
