Opprobrium traces its origins to 1986, when brothers Francis, handling guitar and vocals, and Moyses Howard, on drums, launched an extreme metal outfit in their native Rio de Janeiro. After relocating to New Orleans, the siblings assembled a group named Incubus—unrelated to the later alt-metal act of the same name—with Scot LaTour joining on bass and lead vocals. The trio’s 1987 demo Supernatural Death secured a contract through the independent Brutal Records label, leading to the 1988 release of their debut album Serpent Temptation. LaTour exited shortly thereafter, prompting Francis to assume vocal responsibilities full time. In 1990 Incubus moved to Nuclear Blast and issued Beyond the Unknown, with Francis also covering bass duties until Mark Lavenia was enlisted as the permanent bassist. The band dissolved the following year. When the Howard brothers reconvened in 1997, they added guitarist Luiz Carlos to the lineup, yet the existence of the more prominent Incubus forced a name change to Opprobrium. Because Carlos lacked sufficient preparation time for the new songs and bassist Andre Luiz Oliveira arrived only after tracking finished, the 2000 return album Discerning Forces was ultimately recorded as a duo.
