Anata

The Swedish death metal outfit Anata originated in Varberg when Fredrik Schälin on vocals and guitar joined forces with guitarist Mattias Svensson, bassist Martin Sjöstrand, and drummer Robert Petersson. Although the quartet began informal rehearsals as early as 1993, several years passed before they captured their initial recordings, the 1995 demo Bury Forever the Garden of Lie followed by Vast Lands of My Infernal Dominion in 1997. The second of those tapes secured a contract with Season of Mist Records, which issued the band’s debut full-length, The Infernal Depths of Hatred, the next year. Blending the unvarnished ferocity typical of American death metal with the melodic approach favored by their Swedish counterparts, the album also marked the arrival of guitarist Andreas Allenmark and bassist Henrik Drake. A 1999 split release with Bethzaida titled War, Vol. 2 appeared next, after which ex-Beseech and Eternal Lies drummer Conny Pettersson came aboard, enabling the group to complete its sophomore effort, Dreams of Death and Dismay, in 2001.