The race is decent, but the units are very slow. The Hell Gates are also questionable; I mainly use them against neutral creatures because against opponents, it's often better to attack first rather than spend time opening the gates.
I disagree! The Hell Gates ability is very important for demons, just as the Undead Raising ability is for necromancers. The ideal heroes for demons are those who add initiative (it's a pity that the standard heroes don't have this useful ability), Gatekeepers, Master Gatekeepers, and of course, Engineers (Daleb).
And here are some very important skills: Dark Magic, Attack, Logistics. And as a result, at level 25, we get Urgash's Call. For those who don't know, this is an instant army summon that costs only 30% initiative. It would be great to add Nimue or Daleb to this. I also advise studying Luck - a 10%-35% chance (and another +5% for each point of luck) to open double gates.
I advise everyone to befriend Sequel.
P.S. Who would have thought that a necromancer needs to learn Leadership to get Death Herald, Diplomacy, and Rally Troops? :D And what do we get? Of course, an unstoppable undead army.