Arathorn, a pagan metal project, was founded in 1996 by A.K. and Sköll in Berlin. Their debut album ...niemals krönender als was einst war was released in 1997 by Folter Records. Internal disagreements led to the departure of A.K. and M. Gericke, resulting in several years of inactivity. Sköll revived Arathorn as a solo project in 2003, releasing Demo 2004 in 2004 and later Treue & Verrat in 2008. The latter album explores themes from Germanic mythology and the Nibelungenlied. Sköll's music is also known for blending black metal with folk elements, drawing ideas from neofolk, classical arrangements, and atmospheric keyboard passages and focusing on the atmospheric quality of his recordings.
