"If we'd made every album like The Unexpected Guest we would have been probably huge."

Recently at Sweden Rock Festival, Metal Covenant got a few words with lead vocalist Dave Hill of the British veteran outfit Demon. The band had just arrived at the scene and time was strictly limited before the set, nevertheless this experienced fellow was fair enough to answer my questions properly.

The band never made it big really, like some of the contemporary bands did in the early 80's, yet since the reformation with a new lineup in 2001, Demon, with Hill being the only original member, has indeed been a frequent visitor to Sweden, and particularly this exact festival, and the guys definitely have quite a solid fanbase to get back to every time they choose to put their feet on Northern soil.

Tobbe: There's quite a massive number of younger bands out there today, that's taking part in the music industry, so what does it take for you personally to still hang around after all these years?

Dave: I still think we have the enthusiasm. You know, we were talking today, as we came up from the airport. We're still enthusiastic and we got a new album coming out. We like to play the music and we don't feel that we've reached our peak as a band. I know, tonight, that we'll spend an hour on stage, and play exactly what people want. But basically, yeah, we still want to be doing it. I'm still enthusiastic and it's great to still be playing music.

Tobbe: But still, you guys don't play a lot of shows. This year you have like 8 shows or something on your schedule and…was it anything last year?

Dave: Well, we didn't play last year. I mean, I had a problem 2 years ago with my ears, which is, you know, rock'n'roll. I mean, it gets to your ear, so my ears are gone and I have to use protectors. The voice is okay. So we took some 2 years off, really, from playing, but we decided to get back and do some shows this year.

Obviously we just finished the new album, which will be out later in the year, and, you know, everybody wants to play, so things are okay at the moment to go out there and play.

Tobbe: Would you even, like nowadays, consider to go on a massive tour, if you got the right offer and the opportunity to do so? With massive I mean like a 4-8 week tour.

Dave: Yeah, I think so. I mean, we've done that in the past over the years. I mean, I particularly feel quite fit these days. I keep myself fit and the band's in a good condition. Yeah, I think so. We don't wanna be on the road forever and, I mean, I'm a grandfather these days and everything else.

I do really still enjoy getting up there, playing the music, and yeah, we will always listen to offers. And Sweden Rock came very late. I mean, we were looking to maybe play Sweden Rock next year, which was talked about, but 6 weeks ago we got the call and Sweden Rock is, I think, one of the top 5 classic rock festivals in the world. That's my opinion, so yeah, we said we'll be here.

Tobbe: So about your coming record. Unbroken was critically acclaimed, so did you use that record as a benchmark? Like "We're gonna top this record!".

Dave: Yeah, I think so. I mean, for me personally, if you're gonna make a new record you want it to be the best record you've ever made. That is still inside me. I still wanna make the best thing. We did it on The Unexpected Guest, with the Night Of The Demon we did, Taking The World By Storm, whatever, Unbroken, but this new album, you can quote me, I think is a terrific album.

The new album though, we put together the combination of quite classic rock, lots of keyboards; it's heavy as well, and it's melodic. But I still want, and the band does too, to be better than we've ever been, so.

Tobbe: But still, wouldn't it be easier to just rely completely on the old stuff, because people kind of don't buy records anymore, you know?

Dave: I mean, tonight we will have to play the old stuff. We have one hour and it's the end of 4 days of the festival. People are tired, people are…smelly, and they wanna hear Demon play one hour of Night Of The Demon, Don't Break The Circle, so we will play that tonight. But it is nice when we can go places and we can play something else. I think we've done over 100 songs on our albums, so we would have to play all night to do that, so.

Sometimes we are able to put, you know, new songs and old songs, whatever, to the show, but tonight will be one hour of just what everybody knows, because it has to be that way. But it's great to do a new album, and people appreciate what we did with Unbroken. It was acclaimed and people liked it and the sales have been good. And like you say, things have changed.

You know, people are even saying "Well, what are CDs?". A young boy came up to me and I said to him "Have you heard their latest CD?" and he said "Do you mean those compact discs?" and I'm thinking "What age are we in?". But that's the way it is, but as long as they can hear the music, whichever format…

You know, as long as the music gets over to the people we will make music. Times have changed. I mean, in our 35 years of Demon, the world has changed intangibly. Music format, whatever. It's nice to see vinyl still. You know, we sell vinyl and the new album will be available on vinyl and Unbroken is too.

Tobbe: Was there a time, apart from when you were really young, that you really thought that Demon was gonna break through big-time?

Dave: Yeah, I think so. I mean, we came through with the period of what we call the New wave of British heavy metal and, you know, Saxon were there, Biff & Co, and Iron Maiden. There was Demon. There were lots of bands. Yeah, I think so.

For some years, I think 10 years ago, I was not very happy that we hadn't sort of made what I thought we could make, but then someone in an interview said to me "Well, a lot of bands would like to have made it to the level that you made." and I said "Well yeah, okay, fair enough.".

I mean, I still search to, you know, wanna be at the big level. I think you always think, and that's why we still make albums, that you can make it. And yeah, I think we should have gotten further, but there again, I'm not complaining. That's the way the business is and at least a lot of bands never got as far as we have.

Tobbe: You made a lot of changes in your music even in the early 80's, so would it have made more sense, if you now look back at it, if you had followed a more straight line?

Dave: If we'd made every album like The Unexpected Guest we would have been probably huge. But I think, for me as growing up as a record collector, I was always interested in bands. Bands that made different albums every time and, for me, that's the world I come from and I will stand and fall and say "Yeah maybe, if every album would have been the same as The Unexpected Guest we would be big.", but no, you know, that's what we do.

Tobbe: So in retrospect, which other decisions weren't you happy with?

Dave: Nothing really. I think, basically I'm a happy person. I'm happy in my life and the band is too. We could have been huge if we'd played the same on our albums, but I'm quite pleased we made Blow-Out, Breakout, Taking The World By Storm, whatever. I think they're good albums and we didn't make the same album 15 times and I will still stand by that, but we would have been rich. Lots of money. [Laughs]

Tobbe: So looking at it out of a financial situation nowadays, is there any actual profit in Demon?

Dave: Yeah, we're okay. I mean, Demon does sell. We sell CDs, we sell vinyl. And yeah, you know, there is a profit in Demon and the music we make. Let's just say: had we not made the music, you know, we wouldn't have been anywhere. It's taken me around the world and it's taken the band around the world, with our music, so it's been good.

Tobbe: So for how many more years to come will we be able to see Demon?

Dave: As long as we can stand up and play the music and we're healthy. The new album will be out in September/October and we will be doing some more dates. We'll just keep going.

Tobbe: So any plans for next year?

Dave: Yeah, if they want us back here, all the festivals, we'll continue as long as my ears are okay, so.

Tobbe: But is it possible to actually retire from making music? Because it's always there, in some way, in the back of your mind.

Dave: I don't know. I haven't come to that yet. Don't know. I'll tell you one day. [Laughs] As long as I can sing, as long as we can play, as long as we enjoy it…

Related links:

www.the-demon.com
www.facebook.com/demonbandofficial