The Plague

Demon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Spaced Out Music
• ASIN: B000070WSI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,770 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Plague

2. Nowhere to Run

3. Fever in the City

4. Blackheath, Pt. 1

5. Blackheath, Pt. 2

6. The Writing's on the Wall

7. The Only Sane Man

8. A Step Too Far

9. Outro

10. Nowhere to Run [Original Mix][*]

11. Fever in the City [Original Mix][*]

12. Blackheath [Original Mix][*]

13. The Writing's on the Wall [Original Mix][*]

14. The Only Sane Man [Original Mix][*]

15. A Step Too Far [Original Mix][*]

Editorial Reviews

Repressing. Digitally remastered edition of this 1983 album from the Metal maniacs. 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. Space Out.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent metal, May 15, 2006

By 

Dr. Robert Alcock "Rob" (Greece) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plague (Audio CD)

Of all the Demon releases I've heard this is my favourite. The early sound was very raw and the later albums couldn't match the class of this one. It isn't a hard metal album and it isn't a progressive rock album - it's a melodic hard rock album with progressive tendencies. It's still a heavy album and the playing is top quality.

If you just want a pure metal album or if you just want a pure progressive rock album then this one is not for you. But if you want an album that intelligently mixes the two together and comes somewhere in between (something like neo prog) then you might well like this album. I liked it 20 years ago when I first heard it and I still like it now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every rock/metal fan should own this album., March 7, 2010

By 

Monty Archibald "HeavyMetalMonty" (west coast of Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Plague (Audio CD)

I remember sitting in my room - aged eleven - and listening to Tom Russell's Rock Show, as was standard procedure for many rock fans in the Glasgow area. He introduced 'The Plague' by Demon and, when the dark menace of the opening riff blasted from my speakers, every hair on my body stood on end. It still happens today when I listen to that track at high volume. Quite honestly, it is one of the heaviest and most phenomenal songs ever written - easily as good as anything by renowned riffmasters Black Sabbath or Deep Purple. My worry when an album starts out with such a knockout track is that the only way may be down for the rest of the material; not the case with this album, which starts as it means to continue - with beautiful keyboard melodies, well-defined and original guitar riffs, and the soulful, majestic power of Dave Hill's voice.

My personal favourites are the sonically gorgeous 'Blackheath' and the dark beauty of the title track. There is not, however, a weak point on the rest of the album, so you won't have to worry about flipping past songs; this is one of the rare albums that is essential listening from start to finish.

The remastered version provides additional material in the form of the original mixes of all tracks, which is interesting, as it allows the listener to hear the seeds from which the final polished product grew.

Buy it, play it loud...it's Demon at their best!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Demon's best, April 13, 2005

By 

firebird phil - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Plague (Audio CD)

I Completely agree with Klaus, the other reviewer.

Don't be misled by the name "Demon", because this is not another death metal band. They are somewhere in between old school metal and progessive rock and they play far too nice to be scary metalheads. No skull crashing distortion and grunts here ! They have a very conservative, school-like approach on their music and they never freak out. So don't expect flashy solo stuff from any of the musicians. It's just nice, clean, well-played and well-conceived hard rock. There is, however, one song on the album that really grabs you by the throat and that's "Fever in the city". If you close your eyes listening to that tune you will find yourself in some stinking medieval city infested by what was called "black death" or "the plague". This song is really impressive and the instruments are well-chosen to evoke that mood of complete desperation. Dave Hill's voice is also very powerful and dramatic (as always). This record sounds fuller and completer than its predecessors because of the extended use of keyboards that nicely fill up the gaps created by rather thin-sounding guitars, bass and drums.