Night Demon Heavy Metal Podcast

This week we continue our comprehensive discussion of Night Demon's fall 2024 tour with the legendary King Diamond. This episode focuses on a two-night stand in Boston, Massachusetts. The first night was a King Diamond tour stop on Halloween. The guys talk about the special aspects of that day, including presenting King with lyrics to an unfinished song of his, sporting King Diamond makeup on stage, and playing a special setlist including an unexpected cover version. The next day, Night Demon were still in Boston, but used the off day from the King Diamond tour to play a memorable but...

This week we continue our coverage of Night Demon's fall 2024 tour with King Diamond by highlighting a pair of shows in Brooklyn, New York on back-to-back nights in late October. The first gig was an off day for the King Diamond tour, so Jarvis and Armand played a sweaty club show with their other band, the legendary Cirith Ungol from Ventura, California. The second night was a King Diamond tour stop at the magnificent, cavernous Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, where Night Demon received first-class treatment, played a blinder of a gig, changed up the setlist, and met up with...

We continue our chronicle of Night Demon's fall 2024 tour supporting King Diamond and Overkill this week.  The story resumes at the St. Petersburg, FL show, which was at a beautiful large theater. Despite some technical issues, the show was a triumphant success for Night Demon, later celebrated with waterparks, slurpees and raccoons. After a long day off's drive to the metro Washington DC area, the tour resumed in Silver Spring, MD, where the band played a blinder of a gig. You will hear funny stories about stages that were too narrow, drum kits being struck, and impromptu merch directional s...

This week we continue the epic story of Night Demon's fall 2024 tour supporting King Diamond and Overkill across America. We resume the tale on an off night for the King Diamond tour, which Overkill and Night Demon parlayed into a club gig at the Ground Zero in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The guys explain in some detail the venue setup, the setlist, the strategy for the evening, and a technical issue that derailed "Outsider" almost immediately. From there, the band traveled to Atlanta, Georgia for the next King Diamond show at an ornate theater called The Eastern, with Jarvis's family...

This week we continue following Night Demon on their epic North American trek supporting King Diamond and Overkill in fall 2024. The narrative resumes with a rare appearance in Indianapolis. Band and crew describe the benefits and pitfalls of performing at ornate old theaters that were not designed for 21st century heavy metal productions. You will learn how Night Demon paid tribute to the late, great Paul Di'Anno at this show, and will hear exclusive details about a recording session and potential future single release. From there, the tour proceeded to Louisville, with visits from friends in Savage Master and...

This week we resume our chronicle of Night Demon's fall 2024 tour supporting King Diamond and Overkill. We pick up the tale with Night Demon confronting a 3,000 seat venue outside St. Louis, Missouri, with a huge stage and a massive crowd. They explain how they called an audible to include "Hallowed Ground" in the setlist tonight, and how they started changing up the set on a nightly basis thereafter. From there the tour proceeded east to a fancy theater in downtown Kansas City, where you will hear how the seated show worked to Night Demon's advantage, King Diamond the artist...

This week we continue our deep dive into Night Demon's fall 2024 tour supporting King Diamond and Overkill throughout North America. We pick up the narrative after a long drive from Texas to Cincinnati. The guys explain the process of getting their feet wet and becoming comfortable with fellow touring bands and crews. Cincinnati was a seated show, and the boys discuss their feelings about that and the impact on the vibe of the gig. From there, they talk about their history in St. Louis and their longstanding tradition of playing in rough areas of town, with an unexpected Escape...

This week, we join a roundtable discussion with Night Demon band and crew as they recount their recollections of their fall 2024 North American tour supporting King Diamond and Overkill. They discuss the logistics of being on such a large-scale tour with such a massive production. They also describe their feelings of detachment upon playing a seated show in Houston, TX where the venue was selling their merch for them. And they share memories of a grueling 14-hour drive to Cincinnati, OH under a full moon.

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In fall 2024, Night Demon joined forces with King Diamond and Overkill for a U.S. tour. In this episode, we bring you the tour beginning in San Antonio, TX. All the uncertainty, in terms of budget, logistics, merch and so much more. But you will learn how the King Diamond and crew made the boys feel welcome and settle in to the first night of the tour in Texas, despite the big stage and everything else.

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This week, we wrap up Jarvis's epic four-part interview with affable guitarist Tom Draper at the Hell's Heroes festival. We pick up the narrative with numerous details about his tenure with Hands of Goro, then pivot to his work with Spell. From there, Tom and Jarvis get into a variety of philosophical topics, from the benefits of performing in different styles to the importance of strong interpersonal relationships in bands to touring goals to the differences between peace and happiness to future goals to an overall assessment of where life is in 2026 for these two musicians. It's a fascinating...

This week we bring you the third installment of Jarvis's in-depth career-spanning interview with guitarist Tom Draper. We pick up the narrative with Tom forming Pounder with Matt Harvey, then moving on to Carcass and Spirit Adrift. For each of these adventures, Tom explains how he got the gig, what it was like to do it, and how and why it ended. It's a remarkable story about a remarkable career, packed with all kinds of fascinating nuggets you've never heard before,and all wrapped in Tom's characteristic modest and humble demeanor.

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This marks the 300th weekly episode of the Night Demon Heavy Metal Podcast, without missing a single week. To celebrate this milestone, Jarvis and Nesbit sat down in Ireland for a chat about where the podcast came from, where it is now, and where it is going in the future. They reflect on their initial mindset when the podcast began, the process of trial and error to perfect format and workflows, and podcasts that influenced this one. They talk about meeting listeners and subscribers "in the wild." They ponder the question of whether there is an end in sight...

This week we bring you the second installment of Jarvis's informative and insightful interview with accomplished guitarist Tom Draper (Angel Witch / Pounder / Spirit Adrift / etc ) at this year's Hells Heroes festival in Texas. Among other things, you will hear about Tom's early bands Crowning Glory and Primitai. He explains the circumstances that brought him into Angel Witch. And he talks about moving from London to the San Francisco Bay area, with all of the attendant professional upheavals and culture shocks. And he and Jarvis explore the influence of the first Frost and Fire Festival in 2015 on Tom's musical career.<...

Last month, Jarvis had the opportunity to interview guitarist extraordinaire Tom Draper (Pounder / Hands of Goro / Spirit Adrift / Spell / Angel Witch) backstage at the Hells Heroes Festival in Houston, Texas. This week, we bring you part one of that chat. Among other things, you will hear about Tom's formative years growing up outside of London, discovering music and going to countless gigs. He also talks about the bands that inspired him and his early musical career careening between London and Sheffield.

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This week we bring you the second half of Jarvis's wide-ranging conversation with Steven Intermill, Director of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick in Cleveland, Ohio. Among the many topics addressed in this segment are superstitions, music as a gateway to witchcraft, the importance of not becoming a prisoner of your own design, the Satanic Panic, posers in witchcraft, and foundational texts. Tune in and you're guaranteed to learn things about witchcraft that you never knew before.

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This week, the podcast takes a slight detour as Jarvis interviews Steven Intermill, who is the Director / Curator of the Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick in Cleveland, Ohio. In this conversation, you will learn the history of the Museum, including its roots in the 1960s. Jarvis talks about his personal affinity for the Museum and the parallels between a witchcraft museum and heavy metal music. Steven discusses the many types of visitors the Museum receives and how he relates to them on their spiritual journey. You will also hear about Steven's own musical interests, from his background in...

This week we bring you the second half of Jarvis's in-depth interview with drummer extraordinaire Carlos Cruz (Nails / Warbringer / Powertrip / OHM).  In this segment, Carlos walks you through his history and contributions to Warbringer, including insightful tidbits about the band's creative process. He also talks about replacing the late, great Nick Menza in OHM, and offers stories about his history with Machine Head and how he came to join Nails. Tune in for a fascinating discussion about a talented drummer forging a life in heavy metal.

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This week we bring you the first installment of Jarvis' interview with Carlos Cruz, a veteran drummer perhaps best known for his work in Warbringer and Powertrip. The interview begins with Carlos discussing his deep family roots in music, including his grandfather's recorded output. After a detour into the perils and hazards to the human body of playing heavy metal music for an extended period of time, and the corresponding need for self-care and treatment along the way, the interview traces Carlos' musical journey through high school cover bands to the burgeoning LA thrash movement in the early 2000s...

This week, we bring you a special treat, as Jarvis sat down for an interview with Ricky Warwick (The Almighty, Black Star Riders, etc.) prior to Ricky's acoustic gig in Northern Ireland. In this wide-ranging and fascinating conversation, Ricky reflects on the many facets of his career, from breaking big with New Model Army to forming The Almighty at an opportune time to opportunities with Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders to the terrifying aspects of solo acoustic gigs. You're guaranteed to learn a lot about the man, his musical path, his motivations and his perspectives on a variety...

This week we conclude Jarvis' three-part interview of Cirith Ungol founder / drummer Robert Garven going back through the mists of time to the early days of that legendary band.  Rob explains how vocalist Tim Baker came into the fold and talks about the previous singer, Neil Beattie. He goes on to tell the remarkable story of how the Frost and Fire debut album came to be. It was a completely DIY affair, from financing to recording to artwork to pressing to distribution, which was unheard of in those days. Rob also explains how he obtained the legal right to u...

This week we continue our in-depth interview with Cirith Ungol founder / drummer Robert Garven. He and Jarvis explore the early days of Cirith Ungol, from rehearsal spaces to 70s-era concerts to demo recordings to experiences seeing or playing with bigger bands. You will learn how the famous orange tape came to be, how the band settled on the Cirith Ungol name, how the first album recordings were financed, and much more. Crack a cold one and take this walk down memory lane through heavy metal history.

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This week we bring you the first installment of Jarvis's riveting interview with Cirith Ungol drummer Robert Garven. You will learn about Rob's ancestry and upbringing from his birth in San Antonio through relocation to Ventura and how he discovered rock'n'roll at a tender age with the help of childhood friend and future bandmate Greg Lindstrom. Along the way, Jarvis shares parallels and aspects of divergence between his and Rob's formative years.

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This week we wrap up our extended coverage of the Frost & Fire V Festival in Night Demon's birthplace of Ventura, California. You will hear about the excellent aftershow highlighted by local throwbacks Ardi and Los Angeles thrashers Serpent. The guys also describe their overall impressions of the festival, their feelings the following day whilst breaking down the equipment, and their aspirations for what is yet to come. We cap off this run of episodes with a full airing of Night Demon's electrifying performance of "Black Sabbath" into "Howling Man" during the first night of the festival.

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In October 2025, Cirith Ungol returned to their hometown of Ventura, California as conquering heroes with a crushing performance headlining the second night of the Frost and Fire V festival. In this episode, you will hear extensive live clips from that performance, as well as the reactions and reflections of band and crew about that memorable night. Stay tuned until the end and you might hear a little teaser about what could happen in 2026.

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Of course, it wouldn't be a Frost and Fire Festival without hometown legends Cirith Ungol in the house. At Frost and Fire V, Cirith Ungol headlined the final night of the festival with a monstrous performance that marked their first local appearance in almost 7 years. This week we bring you extensive audio from that gig, as well as Jarvis and Armand's impressions, from an anniversary celebration to pedal issues to the unexpected (but not unwelcome) appearance of a former member in the room.

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