Search - Demon :: British Standard Approved

Demon's finest work.

Robert P. Beveridge | Cleveland, OH | 03/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Demon, British Standard Approved (Clay, 1984)



The majority of Demon fans you're likely to meet (what few of us still remember who they were) are likely to start and end any conversation regarding the band with their first two discs, after which it's generally considered they went downhill (sold out to get a contract with America's Atlantic Records, I think the argument goes). I, on the other hand, think British Standard Approved, the band's fourth disc, was their crowning achievement. Years ahead of its time, mixing progressive rock, pop, and (yes) country with the band's signature biker metal, British Standard Approved took the already-stagnating New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and gave it a new direction; pity no one followed.



From the very first notes of "Cold in the Air," you have to wonder whether this is the same band who recorded Night of the Demon and The Unexpected Guest. It is, in fact. BSA was the last album Demon recorded before the untimely death of their resident guitar god, Malcolm Spooner. But the ominous blowing-wind-and-eerie-noises and crunchy three-chord guitar work have given way to expressive keyboards, more delicate melodies, and what could well pass for a positive outlook if you squint the right way. Obviously, something happened to Demon vocalist Dave Hill between 1982's "Strange Institution" ("they gave you a mountain to climb, but left you no will to survive") and 1984's "From the Outside" ("it's up to you to see it through...") to give him a radically different view on life as we know it.



What didn't change over the course of the band's career with Spooner, though, was their ability to write dead catchy music. Hill's lyrics are custom tailored for singing along, if a bit cheesy at times, and Spooner studied at the School of Inspiring Millions of Air Guitarists. What do you get when you cross biker metal with new-age happy pop-rock? British Standard Approved, Demon's most accessible album, and one that has been highly underrated over the years. The recent reissue of Demon's stuff is already heading out of print, so pick this one up fast and spend some time wondering why an album this great never got any radio airplay. *****"

Weird but awesome

Mike | Tlalnepantla, Estado de Mexico Mexico | 01/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think this album is exceptional cause it goes from the bombastic passages on some tracks well known from their album 'The Plague', cool weird atmospheric sounds of some tunes, to nice melodic and more commercial tracks. This an awesome eclectic (metal-prog?) album, showing some of the best Demon's, and a nice tribute/legacy from Mal Spooner. Its easy to identify a little british-industrial-foggy-Floyd style. Difficult to categorize, it's just good music. Never heard the new bonus track (the other two are live reprises)."

The Demons Masterpiece!

Liquid Faith | USA | 02/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who knows this band will know the majority of their albums co-inside with their name. Most are heavy thunderous and rather boring albums to say the least. But in the early 80's Demon re-vamped their sound to get with the prog craze to sell records. The first offering was "The Plague" which was a fantastic up-beat album with great songs. So when the second prog Demon installment came out I was waiting.

I will say this. I kept my clay records vinyl copy of this album sealed in plastic for 15 years.I was overjoyed when I found a bootleg cd copy at a convention and I relish this re-released remastered copy. The new copy features "The Link" edited into one song instead of broken into two parts as the original album version was.A piano part was edited out of "cold in the air" for whatever reason, and there's an extra"Yeaaa" vocal added in the splice point of the link. The Gentlemen ship sequence at the beginning is much more audible than the vinyl. It is slow, inventive musically and lyrically, and completely un-metal in every way. Comparisons would be: Eloy's Ocean from 1979,Netar's Tab in the Ocean from 1973, Pink Floyd's Wish you were here from 1975, Marillion's Clutching at Straws from 1984..etc. The theme is as the cover tells you, it has to do with the new line steamships of the early 1900's, the Titanic being the most famous. It deals with concepts of new discovery, failure,death.drowning,loss, industry crushing nature, folly of man. It stands in my book as simply the best British prog rock offering of it's time. I wish Demon would've done more records like this..but their guitarist Malcom Spooner died of pneumonia soon after the record was completed. And if you listen to any Demon albums after this..you can tell they were never the same band again. So in that aspect this album becomes even more rare of a gem of what could've been.

I highly suggest this album for the likes of euro-prog rock enthusiasts. You will not be let down. Snatch em up while you can get em.A masterpiece."