After releasing their EP, In the Bleak Midwinter, in 1997, they were considered to be one of the leading modern Christian black metal bands in the early 2000s with their album Spirit of Purity.
[1] Signed to Swedish Rivel Records and Finnish Little Rose Productions, the band played progressive death metal on their second and last album Negative B.
In 1996, Hubertus Liljegren (guitars) and Daniel Thelin (drums) formed Sanctifica, and the band were joined by Alexander Orest (bass).
During late 1997, Sanctifica recorded a demo tape titled In the Bleak Midwinter, which presented Scandinavian black metal and was released in early 1998.
Later that year, Sanctifica entered a studio to record Negative B, a concept album produced by the guitar virtuoso Carl Johan Grimmark.
[2] In the beginning of October, Sanctifica played a tour in Finland, performing at rock clubs of Turku, Helsinki and Jyväskylä.
Evolving from their death metal roots to black metal, their early music is characterized by technical, melodic tremolo riffs, mid-range shrieks or high-pitched growls, symphonic keyboards, cold, chaotic yet tight controlled soundscapes, obscurely mixed drum sounds and slow to fast-paced tempo arrangements.