Demoncy – Enthroned is the Night (Forever Plagued Records, 2012)

The last time I heard US black metal OG Demoncy was 1999’s Joined in Darkness, an ultra-gnarly one-man affair that to this day is one of the most desolate, subterranean-sounding recordings I’ve ever experienced. I somehow missed out on 2003’s Empire of the Fallen Angel, which was apparently a full band effort and not nearly as well-received; I have a hard time imagining Demoncy as anything other than a solitary undertaking, both as an entity and a listening experience, as Joined in Darkness is surely one of those albums best digested in complete isolation, darkened room optional, but definitely preferred. Given my fondness for that now fourteen-year-old album, I was very much looking forward to a proper sequel, and I’m pleased to say that Demoncy mastermind Ixithra has delivered with Enthroned is the Night, released last year on Forever Plagued Records, a label that’s quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Darkest Grove – Coming of 2012 (Forever Plagued Records, 2012)

The year 2012 has come and gone, and sadly, our planet was not ripped apart at the seams by the apocalypse. This unfortunate turn of events doesn’t stop Darkest Grove’s Coming of 2012 from being one of the most impressive and potent US black metal offerings I’ve come upon in recent times. While the musical stylings of Darkest Grove mastermind Devoid Being may be rooted in the most ancient of black metal traditions, it is the excellence of execution on display here that sets the album apart from the glut of USBM bands that have crawled out of the woodwork in recent times.