GARDENS OF OBSCURITY was founded in Helsingborg during 1991, being assembled at first as SLAVESTATE by ex-AGRETATOR vocalist Tony Richter, bassist Mikael Bergman and drummer Martin Thorsén. Early guitarists William Fetty and Joakim Persson would give way to Mathias Teikari. An initial Grindcore stance was shifted to Death Metal under a revised title of ASMODEUS. A further switch in direction, to a more lethargic Doom position, was evident on the 1993 demo 'The Lamentations', this cassette released under the GARDENS OF OBSCURITY tag. A second demo, 'The Abyss Of Coloured Tears', surfaced in 1994 witnessing yet another evolution into technical Death Metal. The band's final incarnation saw Peter Wildoer of ZANINES and AGRETATOR manning the drums.

GARDENS OF OBSCURITY was laid to rest as Richter and Bergman's side project THE DARKSEND, also established in 1991, became priority. Richter, besides being owner of 'Nekrologium' fanzine, has a track record with a whole slew of extreme Metal bands such as SLIMESUCKERS, CORRUPTION, DEMISE, SLAVESTATE, ASMODEUS, SPIRITUAL TORTURE, SMÄRTA, LEGION OF DEATH and, in 1998, NOCTURNITY. Peter Wildoer went on to DARKANE, TIME REQUIEM, ARCH ENEMY and ARMAGEDDON.