A melodic Death Metal band founded in Gothenburg during 1989 by erstwhile guitarist Anders Iwers, ex-FORSAKEN guitarist Mikael Andersson, bassist Jesper Strömblad and former CRYSTAL AGE vocalist Oscar Dronjak. Both Iwers and Dronjac also featured as part of Black / Thrash act DESECRATOR, this antecedent act having released the 1989 demo cassette 'Wake The Dead' and in 1990, a three song demo 'Black Sermons'.

CEREMONIAL OATH debuted in 1992 with a single, 'The Lost Name Of God', on Corpsegrinder Records. Unfortunately, the band was hit by the departure of Strombold, who left to join IN FLAMES, and Dronjac, having decided to reunite with CRYSTAL AGE, following the release of the debut album 'The Book Of Truth'. Anders Iwers would join high profile acts CEMETARY then TIAMAT.

Interestingly, both Strömbold and Dronjac were to come to the fore in 1997 with their Trad Metal side project band HAMMERFALL which, with their debut album 'Glory To The Brave', quite unexpectedly broke the national German charts wide open.

CEREMONIAL OATHS's eventual second album, 'Carpet', included a guest performance by AT THE GATES vocalist Tomas Lindberg. It also featured a version of IRON MAIDEN's 'Hallowed Be Thy Name'. The group has also submitted a version of 'Disposable Heroes' for the METALLICA tribute album 'Metal Militia'.