In 2014 Portland’s Nightfell stormed decisively onto the worldwide metal scene with the forceful debut album The Living Ever Mourn (Southern Lord / Parasitic). Having further fortified their ominous fusion of shadowed disharmony, Nightfell marches forward with Darkness Evermore, a commanding display of power, tension and dynamics. Once more defying easy classification, Darkness Evermore seethes with fiery, apocalyptic energy from the opening moments of “At Last” until the final “Collapse,” through the cycle of “The Cleansing” and “Rebirth” in between. Ranging from short respites to epics stretching past the ten-minute mark, the album’s blackened guitar harmonies and bleak melodies provide a somber counterpoint to the massive, imposing riffs strewn about like bodies on a wartorn field. Considering the primary members’ other musical outlets, the immense ferocity of the vocals exact a heavy toll and agonizing dread. As on the debut LP, great care has been taken to ensure that Darkness Evermore’s brutally heavy mix and punishing low end maintains clarity throughout. With Nightfell poised to shift from studio project to live band in the coming months, their second LP signals a new birth for a band only beginning to make its indelible mark.