Nagelfar were a German black metal band. Biography Nagelfar were founded in 1993 by guitarist Zorn and drummer Rykthius von Meilenwald, now known by his civil name as Alexander von Meilenwald. They decided that the band would only exist while both of them were members. The first steady lineup was established in 1995, when bass player Sveinn Hackelnberg joined and Jander replaced vocalist Smaug. This lineup recorded the band's first demo, Als die Tore sich öffnen ("As the Gates Open") in late 1995 as a rehearsal production, and their second demo, Jagd ("Hunt"), in October 1996 in a semi-professional 8-track studio. A short time before the recordings, the band had signed a contract with Kettenhund Records from Bremen, founded in 1996 by Andreas Lacher, a former editor of the German Soluzen fanzine (using the pseudonym Yog-Sototh). In September 1997, the band recorded their first album, Hünengrab im Herbst, in Andy Classen's Stage-One-Studio. It was released via Kettenhund Records in December 1997. In his review for the German Rock Hard magazine, Frank Stöver wrote that he would not have expected that progress after their two mediocre demo releases (he had reviewed the first one in his own fanzine Voices from the Darkside while the second one had been reviewed by Sascha Falquet) and that Nagelfar may "undoubtedly catapult themselves to the top of the German black metal scene". A split EP with Jander's other band Dark Embrace, a dark metal band from Aachen, containing the track "Nur ein See" ("Only One Lake"), had been recorded in July 1997 and was released via Sombre Records from the Ore Mountains in January 1998. In late 1998, Sveinn Hackenberg departed for personal reasons and left the lyrical concept of the Srontgorrth story. The recordings for the concept album had coinciding setbacks, which resulted in the departure of Jander, who therefore only contributed some parts of the vocals. By the time the album was released in early 1999, bass player Chaos had joined Nagelfar. After the release, Lacher ended Kettenhund Records because he lacked time to go on with the label and was a bit demoralised by "rip offs" in the scene, so the band had to look for a new one. Lacher, whom the band considered a friend, was stabbed to death in a discothèque in Bremen in December 2001. Meilenwald dedicated the first The Ruins of Beverast album to him. In autumn 1999,