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Ancient Rites
Biography
Though its founding members had been active in the local scene since the early 80's, the band known as Ancient Rites was only officially formed in 1989 by Gunther Theys (bass/vocals), Philip and Johan (guitars) and Stefan (drums). One of Belgium's only black metal groups of note (requisite corpse paint and all), they were star-crossed from the start, with both Philip (killed in a car accident) and Stefan (suicide) meeting premature deaths shortly after recording their "Dark Ritual" demo. Choosing to carry on in their honor, Theys kept Ancient Rites alive with the help of guitarist Bart Vandereycken and drummer Walter van Cortenberg, but it wasn't until 1994 (following countless low-key split releases) that they finally recorded a debut album entitled The Diabolic Serenades. By then, black metal had risen to prominence (and infamy) by highly questionable means, via the criminal acts perpetrated by members of its Norwegian contingent, and Ancient Rites reluctantly rode the surge of interest as well.



1996's Blasfemia Eternal should have signaled a time of greater stability for the band, but brought further challenges instead when Vandereycken abruptly left the group, requiring the use of several volunteer guitarists on the European tour set to start only ten days later.
Selected Discography