Gates Of Ishtar was created at the end of 1992. Drummer Oskar Karlsson and bassist Niclas Svenssson were previously with Decortition, Karlsson also citing credits with Defleshed. The band released a modestly titled demo tape the following year modestly titled Best Demo Of '95 which landed them a deal with Finnish label Spinefarm Records.

The debut album, June 1996's A Blood Red Path, although typical death metal, did also include a cover version of the W.A.S.P. hit "I Wanna Be Somebody" and Gates Of Ishtar were to subsequently tour with the likes of At The Gates, Dark Tranquillity and Luciferion. However, both Karlsson and Svensson departed and formed The Everdawn together with ex-Decortition and Scheitan man Pierre Törnkvist and wound up releasing the 1997 album Poems - Burn The Past.

Gates Of Ishtar's own 1997 album, The Dawn Of Flames released that march, was the last album recorded at the legendary Unisound Studios during that february. Edge Of Sanity mentor Dan Swano provided all keyboard work. The album, compiled alongside february 1998's third set At Dusk And Forever, was re-released as a double package by the Hammerheart concern in 2001. Japanese variants of At Dusk And Forever added the bonus track "Red Hot", a Mötley Crüe cover version.

By early 1999 guitarist Mikael Sandorf had forged a fresh venture dubbed Soulash in league with Satariel vocalist Per Johansson and bassist Tommy Konu of Deathbound. Following various membership upheavals this act, retitled The Duskfall and incorporating another erstwhile Gates Of Ishtar man drummer Oskar Karlsson in mid 2001, released the Frailty album in November of 2002. That same year Karlsson was to be found drumming for death n' roll outfit Helltrain.

(Source: MusicMight (ex-Rockdetector), 17.5.2014)