Demoncy - Diabolica Blasphemiae - CD

For those who truly know black metal, DEMONCY require no introduction: ever restless and always surprising, their name is legendary for stirring an infinitely deep cauldron of black magick that's completely their own. One of the earliest black metal bands on American soil, DEMONCY have gone through myriad lineups over the past 30-plus years, but they've always been guided by the vision of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ixithra. In their wake, they've left landmark recordings like Within the Sylvan Realms of Frost and Joined in Darkness, which were both originally recorded in the mid '90s despite their eventual release year of 1999. Even latter-day records like 2015's Empire of the Fallen Angel (Eternal Black Dominion), which saw Ixithra entirely revamp the band's 2003 album in a manner most miasmic, prove the potency of DEMONCY no matter when or how recordings crop up.

And so it goes with Diabolica Blasphemiae, DEMONCY's first new recording in nearly a decade. With Ixithra currently handling vocals and bass, joining him here are the incredibly prolific VJS (Nightbringer, Sargeist, Adaestuo) on guitar and Vorthrus (Cerebral Rot, Crurifragium) on drums. Serpentine in its flow and mesmerizing in its effect, DEMONCY's latest mini-album is a vile, virile display of the band's eternal aesthetic, sounding very much like it could've come out during the mid '90s yet retaining a freshness of approach that defies deja vu. Gutted in its low-end throb whilst exhibiting an ethereal aspect, Diabolica Blasphemiae explores above as it is below, sending forth sine waves of obsidian energy both punishing and pleasurable: primeval black metal magick harnessed with a true auteur's touch. Same as it ever was, then, but still so surprising after all these years - there is only one DEMONCY.

DEMONCY lineup on this recording
Ixithra - Voice of Serpents & Subterranean Thunder (Vocals/Bass)
VJS - Typhonian Strings (Guitars)
Vorthrus - Martial Law (Drums)