Totem Skin was formed in 2012 by guitarist Christoffer Oster, who wrote some songs and was joined by vocalists Henrik Dahlqvist and Glenn Zettersten for their recording.
[3][5] They abandoned their original intention to exist as a studio band, asking guitarist Jesper Sundström and drummer Sebastian Engström to perform live with them in the winter of 2012/2013 while recording their second EP.
On their Bandcamp, Totem Skin placed their work mostly within the categories of punk, atmospheric, blast beat, d-beat, hardcore, screamo, metal, sludge and tremolo, and less frequently grind, blackened and emo.
Comparing them to KEN mode, Echoes and Dust praised the way the album blends brutal grindcore with "occasional ambient touches" and high-fidelity production.
[10] Rushonrock stated that they inhabit "the same scorched musical landscape as Nails and Trap Them ... [and] while their style has plenty in common with the contemporary US crust scene, they mosh to their own tune ... [at times conjuring] an icy atmosphere, giving the album a sense of foreboding and even nodding to fellow Swedes Cult of Luna.
[12] Terrorizer wrote that Still Waters Run Deep "[weaves] intricate and sombre melodies in amongst ... apocalyptic displays of aggression", and called Totem Skin a "dark hardcore" band.
[13] When asked about their combination of ominous atmosphere and dire vocals, likened to Circle Takes the Square's As the Roots Undo, in a 2013 interview with Idioteq, Totem Skin replied that they were inspired by their environment, particularly Sweden's nature.