Necromicon

I

n early 1993 Niklas Sundqvist (a.k.a. Hellviz; bass), Robert Sundelin (a.k.a. Zoid; drums) and Henrik Ã...berg (guitar) formed the band Leprechaun with the intention of making dark, violent music. Vocalssssist Daniel Björkman was soon added to the line-up. Leprechaun only played a handful of shows before changing their name to Necromicon. In January 1994 their first demo When the Sun Turns Black arrived on the scene, although not widely distributed. The second demo, Through the Gates of Grief (July 1994), featured new bassist, Jonas Mejfeldt and saw the start of their Gothenburg (melodic death metal) sound emerge. Soon after the recording, Ã...berg left the band with Jonas Mejfeldt moved on to play his position, and Niklas Sundkvist's younger brother Patrik filled in on bass, while Roger Johansson was added on keyboard. In early '95 a deal for a split-CD was signed with the new French label 'Impure Creations Records' (now known as 'Velvet Music International'). But Mejfeldt's newly born child forced him to leave the band. The remaining members continued on to record five songs for the recording, but a new agreement with the label allowed three additional songs to be recorded featuring new guitarist Stefan Lundgren. In 1996 those eight songs became the Realm of Silence album.

Following the release, Necromicon signed a new deal with the Dutch label 'Hammerheart Records', to release Sightveiler (1998); released as digipack and was reported to sell well; the disc featured the debut of new vocalist Sara.