Visby's GRAVE are one of the founders of the Swedish Death / Doom Metal scene releasing their first demo, 'Sick Disgust Eternal', in August 1988 following a name change from CORPSE. The trio responsible for these tracks comprised Jörgen Sandström handling lead vocals, guitar and bass guitar, Ola Lindgren on guitar and drummer Jensa Paulsson. The band unit had been raised at high school on the isle of Gotland, first branded RISING POWER, in honour of the AC/DC song of the same name on the 'Flick Of The Switch' album, then DESTROYER and ANGUISH before adopting CORPSE in 1986 for the demo 'Black Dawn'. A name switch to GRAVE was marked by the 'Sick Disgust Eternal' sessions. Parallel to this, Sandström, Lindgren and Paulsson, together with bass player Jonas Edwardsson, cut the 'Painful Death' demo credited to PUTREFACTION in 1989. However, these tracks would be sucked into the GRAVE catalogue.

Two further demos, February 1989's 'Sexual Mutilation' and August 1989's 'Anatomia Corporis Humanum', recorded at Yellowhouse Studio, gained the band an enviable cult status. The latter demo was also to be issued as a four track EP by German imprint M.B.R Records.

Prophecy Records published four tracks as part of a collaborative album shared with DEVIATED INSTINCT and DEVOLUTION during 1991. GRAVE had been snapped up by another German label, Century Media Records, and put out the full-length 'Into The Grave' album in August 1991. Putting down these tracks at Stockholm's Sunlight Studios with producer Tomas Skogsberg, GRAVE would use these facilities as a base of operations throughout their career. Now placed onto a global stage, GRAVE's music garnered laudatory reviews, fans entranced by the bludgeoning nature of their rustic, simplistic riffing, oppressively mutated bass and subterranean roar of Jörgen Sandström. The band toured Europe as guests to Florida thrashers MALEVOLENT CREATION in September 1991 shortly followed by dates opening for ENTOMBED.

In 1992 bassist Jonas Torndal quit and frontman Jörgen Sandström took over four string duties. Second album 'You'll Never See' was recorded in June. A January 1994 EP, '...And Here I Die... Satisfied', included a re-worked version of the early CORPSE track 'Black Dawn'.

Following the release of June 1994's 'Soulless', GRAVE toured North America in a headlining capacity prior to hooking up with the CANNIBAL CORPSE and SAMAEL tour as support. Further dates had the band putting in an appearance on the 'Full Of Hate' festivals and acting as openers for MORBID ANGEL. Following this bout of activity Sandström wound up joining ENTOMBED in 1995. GRAVE persevered as a duo with Lindgren now responsible for vocals for the 1996 Tomas Skogsberg produced 'Hating Life' record, laid down at Sunlight Studios. A double concert recording, 'Extremely Rotten Live', arrived in April 1997.

GRAVE, centred upon vocalist / guitarist Ola Lindgren, Jensa Paulsson and bassist turned guitarist Jonas Torndal, who had previously vacated his post in 1992, reconvened in September 2001. New man on bass would transpire to be the THERION credited Fredrik Isaksson. This unit set to work on the Tomas Skogsberg produced 'Back From The Grave' album. First editions of the record came packaged with a bonus disc of of archive tracks compiled from the demos 1988's 'Sick Disgust Eternal', 1989's 'Sexual Mutilation' and 'Anatomia Corporis Humani' tapes. Subsequent European live dates would bear witness to the introduction of COERCION drummer Pelle Ekegren into the fold, regular skinsman Jensa Paulsson being temporarily out of action. By February it was learned Paulsson was out of the picture for good, GRAVE inducting KAAMOS, GENERAL SURGERY and REPUGNANT man Cristofer Barkensjö as permanent replacement.

A projected extensive run of European tour dates throughout March and April 2003 found DEFLESHED as support act. However, these shows would then be cancelled. There would be no let up on the live front for the summer though, GRAVE teaming up with IMMOLATION, CREMATORIUM and GOATWHORE for US shows in June, the band's first North American shows in over seven years. The band would then ally themselves with the gargantuan 'Bonded By Metal Over Europe' roving gigs in October, ranked alongside EXODUS, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, AGENT STEEL, BEHEMOTH, MORTICIAN, CARNAL FORGE, OCCULT and CALLENISH CIRCLE.

GRAVE parted ways with drummer Christofer Barkensjö in early 2004 as he opted out to prioritise his other act KAAMOS. The band duly replaced him with replacing him with the COERCION credited Pelle Liljenberg for recording of a new album in April at Abyss Studios by producers produced by Tommy and Peter Tägtgren, this opus going by a working title of 'Fiendish Regression'. Included in the running order would be a cover version of SAINT VITUS Doom classic 'Burial At Sea' and a re-recording of an archive 1989 song named 'Autopsied'.

December 2004 touring saw GRAVE in union with ROTTING CHRIST prior to hooking up with GOD DETHRONED for Low Countries shows in January 2005 and a further run across Europe partnered with THIRD MOON and Swiss act DISPARAGED. Gigs in Finland during March saw support from CHAOSBREED and SCENT OF FLESH followed by German concerts allied with DEW SCENTED. A run of dates in Finland during May had CHAOSBREED and DELIRIUM'S ORDER as support.

Jörgen Sandström announced the formation of a deliberatly retro-Death Metal band project entitled DEATH BREATH in collaboration with his erstwhile ENTOMBED colleague and THE HELLACOPTERS frontman Nicke Andersson with THUNDER EXPRESS man Robert Persson on guitar. Ola Lindgren too got involved in extracurricular activity, forging SOULDEVOURER in union with the DISMEMBER and UNLEASHED credited Robert Sennebäck and NECROPHOBIC drummer Joakim Sterner.

GRAVE announced European tour dates for January 2006, traversing Poland, Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the UK, alongside a heavyweight cast of HURTLOCKER, ABORTED, DEW-SCENTED, VESANIA and CRYPTOPSY. Tracks for a new album, 'As Rapture Comes' including a cover version of ALICE IN CHAINS' 'Them Bones', would be constructed at Studio Soulless in Stockholm, being subsequently mixed by Peter Tägtgren at The Abyss Studio.

The band teamed up with VITAL REMAINS, DISMEMBER, DEMIRICOUS and WITHERED for a North American tour beginning in late September. This signalled a clear rejuvenation for the band as European shows announced for November, dubbed the "Masters Of Death", had the band lined up with a supremely heavyweight Scandinavian cast of DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED and UNLEASHED. The seemingly tireless group then set out to unite once more with DISMEMBER for a US West Coast tour in December. However, these concerts were cancelled.

In 2008 the band covered ASPHYX's 'Vermin' for inclusion on the Century Media artist compilation 'Covering 20 Years Of Extremes'. This double CD set comprised Century Media acts paying home to their stable mates. The group in turn was honoured by THE FORSAKEN, who tackled 'You'll Never See'.

GRAVE toured Asia in November and December 2008, performing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Auckland in New Zealand.