After releasing their well-accepted debut record "Don't Metal With Evil" in 1985, Halloween wouldn't release anything new for five years. That new release was this five-track demo entitled "Vicious Demo." The title of the demo is a little misleading because Halloween plays some catchy heavy metal, but I would never describe it as vicious. Once you get past that, though, there is some top-notch music to be found throughout this 20 minute demo from the Detroit headbangers.
The first song on here is "I Confess" which is definitely the standout on "Vicious Demo." The riffage is solid, but the vocals and guitar solos really take this track over the top. The chorus is incredibly catchy and it's sure to be burn inside the listener's head (even if it is kind of a love song). Next up is "Vicious Lies," which actually lives up to the title as it's the most vicious song on here (it's still not very vicious). The midpaced riffs throughout are heavy and the faster moments are terrific too. "Evil Nation" is easily the weakest song on the demo, but the next track "Agony" more than makes it up for it with some fantastic vocals that soar over the top with higher pitch yells, as well as some beautiful singing done in the chorus which has some brilliant riffs. "Black Skies" is a more epic song with its cool buildup that features stellar lead work that ends with some catchy riffs and more general awesome from Halloween. The main strengths of "Vicious Demo" are absolutely the vocals and guitarwork and that's why these songs are as good as they are. Not to knock the rhythm section of the band, but the overall product wasn't taken to another plateau or made worse by them either. If you're a fan of heavy metal, then Halloween and this demo deserve your time and if you're not a fan of heavy metal, leave the hall!
Highlights
"I Confess"
"Vicious Lies"
"Agony"
Final Rating
Awesome [8.4/10]
