Founded by vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes and guitarist Chris Hector in 2002, Midnattsol (meaning "midnight sun" in Norwegian) were a symphonic metal band that dabbled a bit in Nordic folk traditions. The pair soon rounded out the band's roster with the addition of guitarist Daniel Droste, bassist Birgit Ollbruner, keyboardist Daniel Fischer, and drummer Chris Murzinsky, and their 2003 self-titled demo helped to win a deal with Napalm Records. Their first album, Where Twilight Dwells, was released in 2005, leading to a touring slot with In Extremo and festival performances at Wave Gotik and Summer Breeze. In 2008, Midnattsol released their next full-length opus, Nordlys. While the band was still going strong at the time of its second release, members in the group had some side work to be proud of, with Murzinsky and Ollbrunner playing with R.I.P., and Hector and Droste working with the German doom metal outfit Ahab. ~ Chris True, Rovi