Apostasy

This young Swedish group formed in 2000, with a debut album Cell 666 released in 2004. Cell 666 is an accomplished melodic black metal album in the tradition of Dimmu Borgir or (perhaps less so) Cradle Of Filth, with keyboards an integral component of their sound. At times it's a bit by-the-numbers, with some of the songs a tad faceless after a few listens, but on the plus side the musicianship and production are tight and there is room for growth.

Guitarist Henrik Johansson was stabbed to death by his fiance on March 9th, 2006. He was 28 years old.