A raw, powerful and melodic Metal band from Chicago, SYRIS debuted in 1995 but were rocked by the death of band co-founder Scott Payne and split up as a direct result. Having been reformed by drummer Sean Brown, SYRIS returned in early 1998 with the 'Unseen Forces' album.

In 2000 guitarist Paul Speredes and vocalist Scott Huffman joined forces with the former WINTERKILL rhythm section of bassist Brent Sullivan and drummer Tony Rios to create SPIRIT WEB for an eponymous album. Former SYRIS personnel created TWELFTH GATE for an album in 2002.