Bal Sagoth

Bal-Sagoth was conceived in 1989 by Byron Roberts, in an attempt to form what he called "A sublimely symphonic black/death metal band swathed in a concept of dark fantasy/science fiction and ancient myths & legends." Inspired by such writers and artists as Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R Tolkien and Jack Kirby, Byron set out to create his own dark fantasy universe, with tales told through epic lyrics and music.

After several unsuccessful attempts to launch the project, Byron was introduced to the brothers Chris and Jonny Maudling in 1993, who were also looking to form a serious band. This formed what would become the writing core of the outfit. After several months of rehearsing, and following a line up reshuffle, the band recorded their first demo in late 1993. The band roster at this point conisited of Byron on vocals, Chris on guitar, Jonny on drums, Jason Porter on bass and Vincent Crabtree on keyboards. More of a straight ahead death metal effort with symphonic elements, the demo attracted the attention of Cacophonous Records, who signed the band to a three album deal.
The band entered Academy Music Studio in June 1994 and recorded their debut album, A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria, in just two weeks. Due to label problems, the album was shelved for nearly a year, finally seeing the light of day in 1995. The album showcased more traditional black metal/death metal ideas, and fewer symphonic elements. The vocal style of Byron is also slightly different from later efforts, using more traditional death metal and black metal grunts, as well as the spoken narrative passages which would become more prevalent on subsequent albums.