The Blood Divine

Something of a haven for cast-off former members of England's most prominent black metal band/revolving door, Cradle of Filth, Gothic metal act Blood Divine emerged from the town of Colchester in 1995. Joining Cradle of Filth alums Paul Ryan (guitar), Benjamin Ryan (keyboards), and Will "Was" Sarginson (drums, December Moon and Extreme Noise Terror) in the new project were bassist Stephen Maloney and vocalist Darren White, whose long tenure as frontman of top doomsters Anathema (not to mention early drum duties with Cradle of Filth) helped shape the dark metal heard on the group's 1996 debut, Awaken. The similarly-themed Mystica followed a year later and brought yet another Cradle of Filth guitarist, Paul Allender (still an active member at the time), into the picture, but this would prove to be the last album by Blood Divine. The group splintered in 1998, and 2002 saw the release of a retrospective entitled Rise Pantheon Dreams, collecting tracks and outtakes from both Blood Divine albums.