This week's episode is devoted to an exploration of the title track of Night Demon's 2015 debut album, Curse of the Damned . The band members break down the component parts of the song, from the distinctive swing intro to the MXR Phase 90 guitar effect to the memorable singalong part near the end. You will hear about the musical and lyrical inspiration for the track, why its narrative style is unique for the band, how it fits in the live set, and why it represented an early attempt to diversify ...
Jul 25, 2025•55 min•Ep. 261
We continue our deep dive into all things Curse of the Damned in celebration of the album's 10-year anniversary by examining album opener "Screams in the Night." Night Demon band members past and present explain how the song originated as an afterthought in the Curse writing sessions, but how it has gone on to become a fan favorite, a "hit," and a fixture in the band's live set. Among other details, you will hear about the song's connection to the Blood Sacrifice comic, the writing process, earl...
Jul 18, 2025•55 min•Ep. 260
This week, we continue our focus on Night Demon's Curse of the Damned album on the occasion of its 10th anniversary Ultimate Edition reissue. A key component of the forthcoming box set is a copy of the Blood Sacrifice comic book designed by James Dufresne. This week, Jarvis sits down to interview James Dufresne about the connections between Blood Sacrifice and Curse of the Damned , the state of horror culture, and the unfinished plans to develop Blood Sacrifice into something that the original e...
Jul 11, 2025•44 min•Ep. 259
This week we continue our celebration of Curse of the Damned on the occasion of its 10th anniversary and the accompanying release of the Ultimate Edition box set of the album. As discussed last week, Night Demon recorded an earlier version of the Curse album known as Run for Your Life , and those recordings are included in the box set for the first time. The guys will lead you track-by-track through the Run for Your Life versions of the songs, pointing out differences in production, tempos and p...
Jul 04, 2025•57 min•Ep. 258
As diehard Night Demon fans know, the band recorded a version of what became Curse of the Damned under the banner of Run for Your Life . They ultimately decided to shelve those recordings. In this episode, we hear from current and former members of the band explaining the whys and wherefores. How did it come about that Dusty was on the Run for Your Life recordings? Why did the band play to a click track? Why, when and how did they decide these sessions needed to be scrapped? Answers to these and...
Jun 27, 2025•46 min•Ep. 257
This week we present you with commentary from current and past members of Night Demon about Curse of the Damned on the occasion of its 10-year anniversary. You will hear how the creators of the album felt about at the time, how it fit in the context of the times, what Armand's role was in shaping the songs and sound, and how past and present members of the band feel about the record's place in Night Demon's discography and in the hearts of the fans. It's a stirring retrospective that brings back...
Jun 20, 2025•52 min•Ep. 256
This week we present a major announcement from the Night Demon camp about forthcoming activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the legendary full-length debut album, Curse of the Damned. There will be concerts, special merchandise, and even an action figure of axe-wielding Eugene, the black-clad mascot from the album cover. But the centerpiece of the Curse at 10 celebration is the September 2025 release of the 'Ultimate Edition' box set of the album. In this episode, Jarvis and host Nesbi...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 255
This week, we bring you the final installment in our series of Jarvis' interviews of friends, colleagues, peers and influences from other bands. This episode comes to you from backstage at the Limelight in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where Jarvis interviewed affable bassist Joe McGuigan from longtime Irish thrashers Gama Bomb. This wide-ranging interview spans the entire history of Gama Bomb, from its origins in 2002 through the present day. Along the way, Jarvis and Joe touch on lineup changes, ...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 254
This week, we conclude Jarvis's two-part interview with Russ Tippins and Cindy Maynard of Brooklyn-based classic hard rock revelations Tanith. The conversation continues to flow easily, with topics ranging from England versus U.S. scene differences and similarities, the recording of the "Citadel" single as the first time the four members of Tanith played together, the affinity of underground metalheads for classic rock stylings, the challenges of starting a band and following your passion, the p...
May 30, 2025•52 min•Ep. 253
This week, we bring you the first installment of Jarvis' interview with Russ Tippins (guitars/vocals) and Cindy Maynard (bass/vocals) from Metal Blade recording artists Tanith. Both musicians discuss their formative years, including Cindy's travails trying to learn guitar as a lefty and Russ's experiences in England starting a band (Satan) with his schoolmates. They talk about the creative process and the tendency of "new" songs - especially those recorded after a band's first album - to evolve ...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 252
This week we bring you the second and final installment of Jarvis Leatherby's interview with Christopher Williams, drummer of Accept and Elegant Weapons. This far-reaching and fascinating interview covers such topics as the evolution of the Nashville scene for career musicians, the burgeoning hard rock / metal community there, how Christopher landed the Accept gig, why playing and listening to other genres makes him a better heavy metal player, the writing and recording processes for Accept, and...
May 16, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 251
This week we continue our series of Jarvis Leatherby interviews with musicians who are friends, peers, influences and/or tourmates of Night Demon. The next interviewee is Christopher Williams, longtime drummer for Accept, who first crossed paths with Night Demon on a European tour in winter 2018. In this far-reaching, in-depth interview, you will hear how Christopher became obsessed with the drums at a very early age, how an uncle changed his life, and how he made the trek from Greenville, SC to...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 250
This week, we continue our ongoing series of Jarvis interviews with influences, friends, pals, and so on. We pick up the story with Midnight visionary Athenar as he explains how Midnight evolved from 2003 to the present day. You will hear many parallels between the careers of Midnight and Night Demon, how Athenar grew to take Midnight more seriously year by year as their popularity expanded by leaps and bounds, and his misgivings along the way. Athenar and Jarvis break down the discography album...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 249
This week we continue the "Interviews with Jarvis" series by bringing you part 1 of his in-depth conversation with the elusive Midnight mastermind Athenar. In this discussion, Athenar digs deep into his musical history, describing his formative musical years, talking about his first albums and first concerts as an '80s kid in the Cleveland suburbs. You'll hear how he moved from band to band, experimenting and growing as a musician along the way, until he finally stumbled upon the Midnight concep...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 248
This week we continue our series of interviews by Jarvis Leatherby with friends, colleagues, influences and peers. This week's subjects are Phil Ross and Bryan Patrick of Sentry, formerly Manilla Road. Over the course of this wildly entertaining 90-minute interview, you will hear about how Phil and Bryan discovered heavy metal in Wichita, Kansas; how they joined forces with the legendary Mark "The Shark" Shelton; and how they found strength and courage to carry on after Mark's untimely demise. I...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 247
This week we continue our series of interviews between Jarvis Leatherby and musicians who are peers, compatriots, influences, and friends. The subject this week is Trevor William Church of Haunt / Beastmaker fame. Listen in as Jarvis and Trevor discuss Trevor's origin story, his famous father, his humble beginnings in rural California, how he came to start Beastmaker, how and why he shifted from Beastmaker to Haunt, his impressions of Night Demon and other bands in the scene, his goals and thoug...
Apr 11, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 246
This week we bring you another installment in the series of Jarvis Leatherby interviews with contemporaries, peers, influences, and friends. Our subjects this week are Adam Neal and Stacey Savage, founding members of occult Kentucky true metal stalwarts Savage Master. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jarvis, Adam and Stacey cover the origins of the band, the evolution of the underground traditional heavy metal scene in the United States, the writing and recording processes, band relationships,...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 245
This week, we bring you a special treat, as Jarvis interviews the reclusive and gifted Chris Black, from High Spirits, Dawnbringer, Superchrist and others. You will hear about Chris's upbringing, his gateway to heavy metal, his thoughts on various subgenres, why all his albums list first names only, his impressions on various punk bands, how he goes about songwriting and the live performance, his thoughts on record labels, and so much more. It's a deep discussion between two deep people who are ...
Mar 28, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 244
Recently, Night Demon completed a full European tour supporting progressive metal titans Queensryche. During that tour, Jarvis had an opportunity to sit down for an in-depth conversation with Queensryche guitarist Mike Stone. This week we present that interview in its entirety for your listening pleasure. You will hear about Stone's fascinating career journey, life story, philosophies on music and writing and life, and many other topics. Settle in and enjoy this engaging and wide-ranging discuss...
Mar 21, 2025•59 min•Ep. 243
This week we conclude our foray into the Night Demon / Cirith Ungol European run in September 2024. We pick up the tale with two off days following the successful London show. The guys explain why playing a series of one-offs can be logistically challenging and exhausting. You will hear how the Roskilde, Denmark show was a triumph for both bands, featuring great performances, a state-of-the-art venue, hospitable promoter and cool crowd. They then talk about going to Hamburg the following day for...
Mar 14, 2025•58 min•Ep. 242
This week we continue our coverage of the Night Demon / Cirith Ungol run of shows through Europe in September 2024. We pick up the narrative with a stressful day of air travel from Italy to London, with flight delays and a long ride from the airport to the gig at the famous Underworld venue in Camden. The boys scrambled to set everything up in time, and were rewarded by a packed house on a Monday night. You will hear how a towering Rocky struggled with the low ceiling, how the merch queue was re...
Mar 07, 2025•56 min•Ep. 241
In fall 2024, Night Demon performed a series of shows in Europe alongside their compatriots in Cirith Ungol. We pick up the narrative as the band travel from Switzerland to Milan, Italy. Armand relates how he and his girlfriend encountered a series of disasters as they endeavored to travel by bus to Milan. Eventually the band arrived in time for the Metal Italia Festival, where Night Demon and Cirith Ungol played on the second day of the festival. You will hear how the appearances for both bands...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 240
In mid-September 2024, Night Demon and Cirith Ungol joined forces for a short run of shows through Europe. This week's episode memorializes the first of those gigs, which occurred in Basel, Switzerland. In their 800+ concert history, Night Demon had never performed in that city before. You will hear about the band's travel arrangements to Switzerland, their impressions of the city and the venue, and the outstanding promoters and strong opening acts. Both Night Demon and Cirith Ungol enjoyed fant...
Feb 21, 2025•55 min•Ep. 239
This week we bring you all the details of Night Demon's appearance at the Blades of Steel Festival in August 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. You will hear about why the guys felt their headlining performance was triumphant, despite not having played together in weeks. They also describe the travails of Cirith Ungol's travel to the fest, but how they too triumphed and pulled off a killer show that left everyone happy. If you've ever imagined Armand playing drums, listen closely because he manned the ...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 238
This week we catch up with Night Demon in August 2024. On the heels of a much-needed two-month break from band activities, Night Demon regrouped in Ireland to play the second installment of the Frost & Fireland Festival along with Cirith Ungol and a stacked international lineup. You will hear why it was important to the band to put on this festival in Limerick, despite the arduous travel logistics. They explain why they love the venue and why this show was so fulfilling and rewarding for the...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 237
This week we conclude our coverage of Night Demon's October 2024 headlining run through Europe supporting the Outsider album. The tour wrapped up with a triumvirate of gigs in Freiburg, Germany; Dijon, France; and Weinheim, Germany. Among the noteworthy events at these shows were a Rocky-led birthday celebration for Brian, a DIY festival that unfortunately ran late, and a Saturday night special in Weinheim to end the trek on a high note. As always, we bring you anecdotes from the road, live clip...
Jan 31, 2025•55 min•Ep. 236
This week we continue our coverage of Night Demon's October 2024 headlining run through Europe, supported by Traveler. The narrative resumes with a show in Namur, Belgium, at an unlikely venue that was a converted cable car station atop a hill. Despite unexpected lighting challenges and volume limits, the band had a good show and won over many new fans. From there, Night Demon proceeded to their first-ever gig in Bochum, Germany, playing a corner stage in a packed upstairs room. You will learn w...
Jan 24, 2025•46 min•Ep. 235
This week we continue our coverage of Night Demon's fall 2024 run through Europe, supported by Canadian titans (and now sadly defunct) Traveler. The narrative picks up with a show at the new, larger MTS Records location in Oldenburg, Germany, with additional support from a Night-Demon inspired German band called Dawnrider. The tour moves on to the tiny German village of Neuenhaus, where a longtime fan had set up a small show on a Monday night. You will hear how it came to be that Night Demon per...
Jan 17, 2025•46 min•Ep. 234
This week we continue our coverage of the Keep It True Rising festival in Wurzburg, Germany in October 2024. Billed as Cirith Ungol's final European performance, the gig was a disaster from the very beginning. Plagued by technical issues and an unexpected slip and fall, the show took a turn for the worse with a Night Demon hater / heckler. The guys speak candidly about how they battled through the adversity and how this experience made Cirith Ungol want to return to Europe to end the chapter pro...
Jan 10, 2025•47 min•Ep. 233
This week we spotlight the fall 2024 leg of the Outsider European Tour. After the Blades of Steel Festival in Wisconsin, the boys unite in Linz, Austria for a special Cirith Ungol headlining show in a packed club. Then they move on to Wurzburg, Germany for the Keep It True Rising festival, You'll hear all about the venue and pedigree of the fest, Jarvis's uncomfortable guest appearance earlier that day, Hellwitch's triumphant gig the following day, and Night Demon's headliner that night. If ther...
Jan 03, 2025•50 min•Ep. 232
