Demoncy is an American black metal band formed in 1989 by guitarist Ixithra (also known as Wicked Warlock in Profanatica). They are known for their sparse arrangements and ominous atmospheric chord progressions with emphasis on the interplay of rigidly structured harmonies against dissonant execution. Song lyrics are intentionally vague with interpretation left to the listener, but undeniably centered on occult and magical themes. Not limiting themselves only to Satanism or similarly popular paganist thinking, the band are fiercely anti-collectivist.
Significance
Demoncy are among those bands such as Absu, Black Witchery, and Judas Iscariot generally credited in the early 90s with establishing the minimalist USBM style, now much imitated in the so-called "Third Wave" of Black metal. They headlined the American Black metal Attack European Tour in 2004 and several other smaller circuits in the US, notably the Winds From The Void tour in 2007. Demoncy have also performed at the Full Moon Productions annual invitation-only black metal convention in the Colorado Rockies known as the Gathering Of Shadows. Their dedication to serious musicianship has attracted the attention of some of Black metal's most respected visual artists, including Juanjo Castellano and Chris Moyen, who have both contributed their talents to Demoncy's cause.
History
The band originally formed in 1989 as a solo project by Ixithra, alternately calling himself the Wicked Warlock Of Demonic Shadows or Lord Of The Sylvan Shadows. It would take three years before the single "Impure Blessings (Dark Angel Of The Four Wings)" was released, and another two before their first full-length "Faustian Dawn." During this time Ixithra had difficulties with bandmates that he considered incompetent and insincere that impeded his designs. Constant revisions of the lineup prompted Ixithra to temporarily abandon Demoncy and collaborate with former members of Incantation in the band Profanatica, and to pursue his many other musical projects. More low-fidelity recordings were eked out over the following years with lineup changes a constant hindrance, but it was with the 1999 offering "Joined In Darkness" that Demoncy finally found their place in the annals of Black metal history. Regarded by many as the finest example of USBM ever produced, "Joined In Darkness" has become something of an albatross for the band, a high-water mark by which all subsequent recordings were compared and dismissed. Most notoriously slighted was 2003's "Empire Of The Fallen Angel," a slickly produced and brutal release featuring a heavier more guttural vocal style. Despite purists' lament that the band had departed from form, Demoncy began to enjoy a larger influence and success in the wake of "Empire Of The Fallen Angel", touring the US and Europe and featuring in several metal festivals with metal artists Deicide, Obituary, Hate Eternal and others. In 2004 the band was interviewed in the March issue of Terrorizer Magazine and seemed poised for crossover appeal.
After a recording session in 2005 revealed that the music was being pushed in a more commercial direction Ixithra expressed his outrage by destroying the recordings, firing his bandmates, and withdrawing for a time into seclusion to refocus his designs. Although no subsequent full-lengths have been revealed to date, there have been many re-releases of previous works with newer artwork and added tracks. Recent live performances have reflected Ixithra's resolve to return to form, with greater emphasis on frightening atmospherics and older elements of the black metal style.
Demoncy
