On the summer solstice of 2008, Cairn was born in the first melodies of 'Solstiseraph'. Composing for a debut record continued apace through the winter, and though many of the songs and the band itself went unnamed until spring, a unifying lyrical narrative quickly emerged. The intent of the name Cairn is twofold: first, to pay homage to the literal and spiritual Old World from which the word comes; second, to declare the band's ideological intent.