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Outsider is the third full-length album from Night Demon, one of the US-based bands in the thick of the worldwide resurgence of traditional metal. Riffs are at the heart of their music and there are plenty on Outsider, from the pounding title track to the up-tempo bruiser "Escape from beyond," the Maiden-esque harmony guitars of "Obsidian" and the vocal and guitar call and response of "The Last Day." It isn’t all bashing, Night Demon vary the songwriting a try and give Outsider a bit of ebb and flow. "Beyond the Grave" starts out with a spot-on Cliff Burton-inspired bass line before settling into an epic/doom vibe and the band’s hard rock roots show on "A Wake" which has a southern rock style, like Molly Hatchet’s "Dreams I’ll Never See" but amped up to just cross over into metal territory. It isn’t an album that opened up to my ears right away but the more I listened, the more the songs set their hooks. The only real downside is the aforementioned flow, which isn’t great. I find the middle to be on the slow and moody side and it doesn’t hold my attention the way some of the more energetic numbers do. There is still a good deal of kick ass traditional metal here, so if you’re riding that wave, you can safely add this one to your collection.

Note: Track 9, "The Last Day", is only available on the CD edition.