Swedish death metal band Darkane was formed from the remnants of Agretator, a progressive-influenced unit following in the footsteps of bands like Watchtower. Guitarist Christofer Malmström and drummer Peter Wildoer (the latter also formerly of Armageddon and Arch Enemy) first recruited guitarist Klas Ideberg and bassist Jorgen Löfberg, and recorded a couple of compilation tracks. The new band's sound contained some progressive elements (somewhat similar to Meshuggah), but took a more Gothenburg-style death metal approach. With ex-Forcefeed vocalist Lawrence Mackrory in tow, Darkane began work on their debut album Rusted Angel, which was released in late 1998 and appeared in the U.S. the following year on Relapse Records. Following Mackrory's exit, the group recruited Andreas Sydow, who made his debut on the follow-up release Insanity; it was issued in early 2001 by Century Media. ~ Steve Huey