Minor players in the New Wave of Swedish Death Metal of the 1990s, Stockholm, Sweden's Ebony Tears were formed in 1996 by guitarist Conny Jonsson and vocalist Johnny Wranning, following the latter's unsuccessful turn at the helm of the even more obscure Miscreant. Then followed three technically competent but creatively rather average LPs: 1998's Tortura Insomniae (featuring bassist Thomas Thun and drummer Iman Zolgharnian), 1999's A Handful of Nothing (with bassist Lennart Glenberg and drummer Richard Evensand), and 2001's Evil as Hell (introducing yet another new bass player in Peter Kahm). The final of these albums saw Ebony Tears linking up with Century Media, and replacing the melodic persuasion of the first two efforts with a more brutal death metal style, but also proved to be their last attempt when it too failed to advance their floundering career. Parallel distractions with the thrash- and hardcore-tinged Dog Faced Gods didn't help keep them focused, and in the aftermath of Ebony Tears, drummer Evansand enjoyed the most success, as an in-demand sideman with Therion, Soilwork, and Chimaira. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia