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Rating:
After the success of the debut "The Night Of The Demon," which shocked due to its horrific themes and the devastating live act, where they performed dressed as demons among candles, crosses, and other macabre objects (somewhat like the Italian band Death SS), it placed them rightfully among the most important groups of the musical movement known as NWOBHM. In 1982, replacing guitarist Clive Cook with Les Hunt and bassist Paul Riley with Chris Ellis (the other members were singer Dave Hill, guitarist Mal Spooner, and drummer John Wright), and enlisting keyboardist Andy Richards (who would actually play a marginal role), the Demon reunited to bring forth another gem of their production: "The Unexpected Guest."
The horror atmospheres typical of the group can already be felt from the eerie intro, "An Observation," slow and characterized by vague spectral sounds, which are decidedly swept away by the beautiful "Don’t Break The Circle" (which would later be covered by Blind Guardian), with its beautiful riffs embroidered by a seductive and evocative guitar and Dave Hill’s raspy voice: here, there are no atmospheric intricacies typical of later and contemporary groups (like the national Steve Sylvester and his associates), but rather pure, decisive Metal and almost brutal, which nevertheless exudes a particular malice from those notes, almost impossible to describe in words, but at the same time, in my opinion, anticipates some future solutions of Horror Metal. How can one remain still while listening to the next, wonderful "The Spell," with its chilling refrain and a finale of bells and almost Gregorian macabre choruses? The following "Total Possession," "Sign Of A Madman," "Victim Of Fortune," and "Have We Been Here Before" are absolutely beautiful, robust songs, thanks to their square riffs and the stunning voice of our Hill, but in my humble opinion, inferior to the initial two diamonds (excluding the intro): after all, how could it be otherwise? "Strange Institution," slower and more evocative, brings us back to levels of high class, thanks also to the soulful interpretation of the great singer, levels that the following "The Grand Illusion" also maintains wonderfully. If the beginning of the record was entrusted to a pair of stunning songs, the conclusion is left to a wonderful duo: "Beyond The Gates" and "Deliver Us From Evil" are two songs, powerful and maximally evocative, that close a fantastic album, unjustly forgotten.
The career of the Demon, after this "The Unexpected Guest," would continue to this day with ups and downs, with an extremely unstable lineup revolving around the charismatic Dave Hill (in my opinion one of the best voices in Metal ever), establishing themselves as a cult band and garnering approval particularly among a niche audience. From this fantastic period, we are left with gems like "Don’t Break The Oath" and "The Spell," testifying to a group that was crucial for the development of the genre, but that misfortune condemned to not achieving all the success that I think they fully deserved.
Tracklist and Lyrics
10 Beyond the Gates (04:19)
Beyond the Gates of Hell
Between death and life
There's a road few have travelled
A road few survive
Watch out! Beware!
Prepare to run with your life
Watch out! Out there!
For the fool who takes
A look in his eyes
Will be lost to the Master of Time
We're searching for souls
Everyone must be saved
Beyond the Gates of Hell
Between death and life
There's a road few have travelled
A road few survive
Hold on to the light!
There's no way of turning back now
It's not real what you see
It's just a state of your mind
That he holds
They're trying to work it through you
But the time's running out
There's nothing more you can do
Beyond the Gates of Hell
Between death and life
There's a road few have travelled
A road few survive
They're searching for souls
Everyone must be saved
But the time's running out
There's nothing left you can do
11 Deliver Us From Evil (04:41)
Now the spell has been cast
The curse has left its mark
And we await the judgerment to be passed
While we look upon each other
The sinner and the saint
The final curtain falls upon our kind
It's too late to pray
For the victims left outside the gates of Hell
What fate awaits them now no-one can tell
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter from it
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
As we reach the final chapter
And turn another page
Do we see the writing on the wall?
Is it better to have witnessed this
Or never seen at all
What lies behind the shadow of the night?
You've seen the sign
You're forever on the run from your last rights
You live in fear of The Unexpected Guest
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter from it
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us ? we don't want to go down there
Deliver us ? we don't want to go down there
Now the spell has been cast
The curse has left its mark
And we await the judgement to be passed
While we look upon each other
The sinner and the saint
The final curtain falls upon our kind.
It's too late to pray
For the victims left outside the gates of Hell
What fate awaits them now no-one can tell
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter from it
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
Deliver us from evil, gimme shelter
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