Demon Eye - ‘Tempora Infernalia’

Album Type: Full-Length

Date Released: 08/05/2015

Label: Soulseller Records

‘Tempora Infernalia’ CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). End Of Days

2). Listen To The Darkness

3). I’ll Be Creeping

4). See The Signs

5). Poison Garden

6). In The World, Not Of It

7). Black Winds

8). Give Up The Ghost

9). Please, Father

10). Sons Of Man

Demon Eye is:

Erik Sugg | Vocals, Guitars
Larry Burlison | Guitars
Paul Walz | Bass
Bill Eagen | Drums, Vocals

Review:

Demon Eye, as their name implies, are firmly rooted in the 70's. Yes, there may be a lot of this kind of stuff around at the moment and indeed over the last decade (UAATDB, Blood Ceremony, Witchcraft et al) but there is something worth noting... The three bands I just named in the bracket are all very good at this. Demon Eye are too. The songs plough the same furrow stylistically as those mentioned, but with a twist. These guys are from the good ol' US of A and it sounds like it. UAATDB could not be from the US- too British in sound and atmosphere, even with Mind Control's Manson obsession.

Demon Eye are polished underneath the analogue production with shades of classic Pentagram in there on “End of Days” and “Listen to the Darkness”. The band play fluidly with changes aplenty and lots of snaking riffs. They are rather more dexterous than some of their counterparts and sound very professional indeed (just as many US bands do). Tracks such as “I'll Be Creeping” mine a similar ground to the aforementioned Uncle Acid in tempo and even atmosphere, and possess the same pop sensibility too. It's also catchy in the extreme. There are vocal melodies (often backed with echoing riffs) that will worm their way into your head.

The sound is indeed very analogue (who knows if it is or not?!) and features a very old school drum sound and the sound of guitars run through valve amps and suitably reverbed vocals. The band try their hand at very Sabbathian territory on ‘Poison Garden’ and in doing so show that they can do other tempos along with the swing of other tracks. “In The World, Not Of It” returns to a more jaunty approach, and the occult vibes come thick and fast. Again the melodies lift this above other bands of this rather niche yet overflowing genre, proving again that Demon Eye are up there with the best, not riding on the coat tales of lesser bands who like the idea  and imagery of Electric Wizard but just don't understand why they have to be so noisy or not have catchy songs. ‘Black Winds’ is positively fleet of foot for this type of thing and is, I suppose, Proto-metal that would not be out of place of an early BOC album. “Give Up The Ghost” goes back to walking pace and has a kind of Iron Maiden played at half speed vibe. Acoustic guitars finally make an appearance on “Please,Father” and bring a moody atmosphere to the track, augmented by ethereal vocals and a downcast approach.

The percussive battery of “Sons of Man” marks the beginning of the end of the album and the band rock hard on this one- five minutes of joyous playing that is full of energy. In straight forward terms, this is a 70's rock throwback that is way ahead of others operating in a similar arena. If you like this type of thing, you will be impressed. If you were unmoved by an album such as Blood Lust, then this will be lost on you as well. For me, it is superior and expertly executed. Even if it does not quite match the genius of Uncle Acid, it is still a damn fine album.

Words by: Richard Maw

‘Tempora Infernalia’ is available here

For more information:

Listen: http://demoneye.bandcamp.com/ | Like: https://www.facebook.com/demoneyenc