In 1998 Paul Allender started another band called Primary Slave.

In 2000, just before Primary Slave signed a recording contract, he rejoined Cradle of Filth on the band's album, Midian after receiving a call from Dani Filth, along with drummer Adrian Erlandsson and keyboardist Martin Powell.

In an interview with "The Age of Metal", White Empress vocalist Mary Zimmer (formerly of Luna Mortis), said: Paul and I actually have a number of mutual friends and acquaintances and it was Melissa Ferlaak of Plague of Stars (formerly of Visions of Atlantis, Aesma Daeva, Echoterra) who put us in touch with each other.

She's her own creative concept, her own image, her own identity that comes from all of us in the band (meaning I'm not the Empress, necessarily).

The band is fantastic, we all contribute equally to the creative process and we've come up with some amazing things for everyone.

[4][5] Their debut album - Rise of the Empress - was released through Peaceville Records on 29 September 2014.

[6] In 2016, Allender changed the direction of the project, removing all of the singing and replacing it with narration.