DEMON’S EYE – Under the Neon
"Under the Neon" by the German band named Demon’s Eye is one of the best, coolest, and most memorable albums I have had the pleasure of listening to this year. No, wait a minute, did I say this year? Scratch that! What I meant to say was that this is one of the most brilliantly conceived records I have listened to for years and years. So, why is a bespectacled and overweight geek like me so blown away by Demon’s Eye and this 11-track album? Well, for one thing it features vocalist Doogie White, who is one of my favorite vocalists. The "Stranger in Us All" album by Rainbow, which features Mr. White, is a classic in my book, but I digress. Let us go back to Demon’s Eye, shall we?
Every damn song on this record is vibrant, dynamic, and moving. In other words, there is not one single filler track on this disc. How often does one come across an album where hardly a second is wasted? All the songs are incredibly memorable and catchy, and they get under your skin. The album as a whole is highly atmospheric and loaded with different moods that seem to appeal to the entire emotional register. For instance, the song entitled "Closer to Heaven" is epic, melancholic, and beautiful while a track such "Road to Glory" as is just a full-on attack on all your puny senses. Great stuff all around. I know that I keep repeating myself here, but it just blows my mind how varied these hard rocking tunes are. The bluesy and laidback "Finest Moment" is so cleverly written that it hurts. "Welcome to My World" has an almost "Stargazer"-esque feeling to it.
The musicianship is excellent and all the members of the band pull off some wickedly delightful stuff. Doogie White sounds as passionate as ever, and the organic production that envelops the whole thing fits like a glove. This record obviously draws on the greatest rock and hard rock music of the 70s (primarily Deep Purple and Rainbow), but the thing with Demon’s Eye is that the sound that these guys conjure up is so convincing, authentic, and heartfelt that I can hardly put it into words. This is a musical orgasm lasting 53 minutes…and we all like that, do we not?
While some of you crapholes out there may think that Demon’s Eye is just another retro-band or something of that sort, I can honestly tell you that you suck if you for some lame reason think that "Under the Neon" is not as close to being a classic and a masterpiece as it is. I simply love the album, and I am pretty damn sure that a lot of you faithful readers out there will feel exactly the same once you start spinning this record. Why the hell are you still reading this? This is classic rock with an awesome guitar sound, a distorted hammond organ, and one of the best vocalists out there. Obtain the album now, damn it!