SALEM ORCHID, forged during 1989, is a noted Daath Metal precursor to AKERCOCKE. A demo entitled 'Sempiternal Suffering' saw release in 1992. The group was afflicted by numerous personnel shuffles, with past members including bassist Dan Temple and Andrea Zoccoli, the latter from Italian act CREMATORIUM, vocalist / guitarist Jason Mendonca plus guitarists Nikki, also of CREMATORIUM and CEREBRAL DISFUNCTION, Jeff Godwin and Stephen Wood. Zoccoili's previous credentials also included terms of duty with AWA FUNK, CENOBYTE and ILLUMINATI.

Following Mendonca's exit SALEM ORCHID perservered as a quartet, recording two further demos with a line-up involving the NIGHTNURSE and INTERLOCK credited vocalist / guitarist Matthew Platts, guitarist Peter Theobalds, of XEROX GIRLS, THREE DAYS BY CAMEL and PHOTOGRAPHING GIRLS, bass player Caroline Batt, of the XEROX GIRLS, plus drummer David Gray.

Subsequently, Mendonca, Theobalds and Gray created AKERCOCKE.