Demoniac originated as a black metal band in New Zealand, circa 1993, but following a pair of demos ("The Birth of Diabolical Blood" and "Moonblood") and the release of their first album, Prepare for War, the following year, vocalist Behemoth (real name Lindsay Dawson), guitarist Heimdall (Sam Totman), and drummer Adramolech relocated to London, England, where they proceeded to reinvent the group under a more melodic mindset. 1996's Stormblade initiated this transformation with its heroic power metal experiments, though certain black metal hallmarks like scratchy vocals still lingered. But the ensuing The Fire and the Wind (1999), also featuring lead guitar wunderkind Herman Li, bassist Diccon Harper, and Slovenian-born drummer Matej Sentic proved an altogether unique and quite triumphant amalgam of the two subgenres. Sadly, Demoniac would not live to see another album, as Totman and Li decided to launch a brand new band called Dragonforce, fully dedicating themselves to heritage and power metal. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia