They were a blackened death metal band by the name of Daemonum (previously known as Amethyst), whose members were Jon Kennedy, Nigel Dennen, Ian Maiden, Mark Watson-Jones, Steve, Gary and Marc Evans.
However, in 1995, Kennedy left Cradle of Filth and returned to Daemonum, changing the band's name to Hecate Enthroned and developing a more melodic black metal style and replacing Ian on vocals.
Hecate Enthroned toured the UK with Japan's Sigh and Ireland's Primordial in 1995, with long-time bassist Dylan Hughes replacing Mark Watson-Jones on live duties.
Hecate Enthroned opened for Ved Buens Ende, Impaled Nazarene and Opeth, at London Astoria gaining the firm interest of Blackend Records.
Stylistically, this found the band in a more "true" black metal sound, with squashed production, growled vocals, raging tempos, blast beats and symphonic arrangements.
In the same year, Hecate released its first full-length album: The Slaughter of Innocence, a Requiem for the Mighty, produced by Andy Sneap, which saw the band enter a faster, more brutal direction, with more emphasis on the symphonic interludes.
In the end of 1997, Paul Massey and Marc left the band, Paul was replaced by Dylan Hughes (who returned to the band after leaving it in 1995) and Marc was replaced by long-time guitarist Andy Milnes; Next year, they released their second full-length, Dark Requiems... and Unsilent Massacre, this time lowering the speed and using the keyboards as the primary instrument and creating more horror-styled atmospheres, though still retaining the brutal heaviness of the first two albums.
A couple of months after the release of Dark Requiems..., due to problems and creative differences between him and the rest of the band, vocalist Jon Kennedy was fired.
This continues along the sound originally heard on Kings of Chaos, with death metal-style guitars, tempos and growls mixed with symphonic black metal keyboards, melodies and grim screaming.
[8] Sarah Jezebel Deva of Angtoria and Cradle of Filth fame guest-stars on Virulent Rapture providing soprano vocals for a track.
[13] On 25 September 2023 former vocalist Jon Kennedy died, aged 46, following a car accident;[1][14] his former bandmates from Hecate Enthroned and Cradle of Filth paid their condolences through their respective social media profiles.