Thy Serpent became mostly of the Finnish black-metal rings to produce a name for themselves within the Western european underground. The group was shaped in 1996 by guitarist/vocalist Sami Tenetz, the only real constant amid some employees fluctuations. Thy Serpent documented two demos before obtaining a shot in a full-length record; Forest of Witchery was released by Spinefarm in 1996. Buying a lineup of Tenetz, Agathon (synth, drums), and Azhemin (synth, bass, vocals), Thy Serpent produced their worldwide debut in 1998 with Christcrusher, released in the Nuclear Blast America label.