Darkane is a Swedish metal band that originated in Helsingborg in 1998. Their music contains ample thrash elements interspersed with acoustic interludes and symphonic features, such as the in-studio use of synthesizers and occasionally full orchestras and choir singing. The name "Darkane" is a portmanteau of the words "dark" and "arcane". History Formation and Rusted Angel (1998–2000) Darkane was formed by former Agretator guitarist Christofer Malmström and drummer Peter Wildoer, who recorded a 2-song demo in 1998. On the strength of these two songs, Darkane landed a record deal with War Music, and the band's lineup was completed by bassist Jörgen Löfberg, guitarist Klas Ideberg, and vocalist Bjorn "Speed" Strid. However, as vocalist of the already-established Soilwork, Speed was unable to continue dividing his time, and decided to leave Darkane. After a period of several months without a vocalist, he was replaced by vocalist Lawrence Mackrory, who was recommended by the band's producer, Daniel Bergstrand. Mackrory recorded all vocals on the debut album, Rusted Angel, and performed several live dates with the band later that year. However, due to other commitments, Mackrory was unable to tour with the band in early 1999, and was replaced by Andreas Sydow, who had been a member of a cover band with Malmström years earlier. Insanity and Expanding Senses (2001–2003) After playing many festivals and shows for the next several months, the band signed a new record deal with Nuclear Blast, and returned to the studio to record their second album. These recording sessions would prove challenging, as electrical storms, floods, and equipment malfunctions caused significant issues during the production of the album, which was named Insanity as a result. After more European touring and their first North American show in 2001, the band began work on their third album, Expanding Senses, which was released in 2002. Layers of Lies (2004–2007) Darkane toured extensively following the release of Expanding Senses, and by early 2004 had almost an entire album's worth of songs written. However, at that time, drummer Peter Wildoer suffered a wrist injury, and began experiencing severe wrist pain. The band went on hiatus to allow Wildoer to recover. During this hiatus, guitarist Christofer Malmström released a solo album (Non Human Level) which was a compilation of unreleased songs he had written from 1998–2004. Guitarist Klas Ideberg spent time working with his side project Terror 2000. By late 2004, Wildoer's injury had healed,