Does this album show you how to floss?

Dentists are so misunderstood.
Rather than pain-dealing villains, dentists are actually health-care professionals devoted to maintaining the well being of our teeth.
This morning, as I drove to my neighborhood pain-deal-- er, I mean, dentist, I listened to another of life's great misunderstood denizens, the HEAVY METAL CONCEPT ALBUM.
In today's particular case, it was "THE PLAGUE," a 1983 album by Staffordshire band DEMON.
In his hilarious yet remarkably insightful memoir/guide to heavy metal, "HELL BENT FOR LEATHER," Seb Hunter explains that when a metal band strays from its usual lyrical territory of devils, women and motorcycles, "they will usually end up producing a concept album."
"The concept album is heavy metal's ultimate High Art statement, its holy grail of spiritual and intellectual achievement," Hunter wrote.
Many heavy metal fans and writers viewed "The Plague" as somewhat less than an achievement upon its release.
"TOO MANY KEYBOARDS!" howled British metal bible KERRANG.
Writing on the band's Web site, former bassist Chris Ellis takes a differing view:
"It is in my view, a rock classic that never received the recognition it truly deserved."
I have to admit, I agree with Ellis and SOUNDS reviewer Mark Putterford, who wrote in 1983:
"It's an album which moves from anger to melancholy and from sarcasm to sincerity in it's horrific account of nuclear war and its after effect... it's a package which'll surely expand the Demon appreciation society."
I think "The Plague" is a fantastic album!
You have probably never heard of the record because Putterford was decidedly wrong:
The Plague did not really expand "the Demon appreciation society."
The album reached No. 73 on the British charts while sounding very similar to the output of prog-rock hit-makers MARILLION (23 UK Top-40 singles).
Perhaps that was the problem. "The Plague" was probably too "progressive" for the metalheads while being too "heavy" for the single-buying progressive rock fans. So misunderstood... so much like a dentist!