Ceremonial Oath is a
Swedish extreme metal band who formed in 1989 under the name "Desecrator", changed their name to Ceremonial Oath in 1991 and disbanded in 1995. During their short career they released three demos, one
EP and two full-length albums. Their influence is greater than their short lifespan suggests: several of the band members would later create or join metal bands that would gain fame and fortune on the future metal scene, such as
In Flames, an influential band to the
melodic death metal genre; and
Hammerfall, a band who would greatly influence the awakened interest in
power metal and
traditional heavy metal.