Diabolical Masquerade is the avant-garde/atmospheric black metal solo project of Anders Nyström (aka Blakkheim), guitarist for Katatonia and Bloodbath, origins from Stockholm, Sweden. Nyström wanted to have a band where he could compose more extreme music while Katatonia were exploring more mellow themes and moods. All of the music on the first two albums were written and performed by Nyström, with guest vocal appearances from longtime collaborator Dan Swanö.