Opera IX is an Italian symphonic black metal band founded in 1988 in Biella by guitarist Ossian. The group gained initial traction with their demo Gothik (1990). The band's lineup stabilized with Cadaveria on vocals, Vlad on bass, and Flegias on drums. Their second demo in 1992 led to a contract for the EP The Triumph of the Death (1993), which sold out its first 500 copies within two months. In late 1993, Silent Bard joined on keyboards, enhancing their sound with classical influences and ethereal atmospheres. Their debut studio album, The Call of the Wood, was released in 1995 under Miscarriage Records. They followed with their second album, Sacro Culto (1998), released under Shiver Records. In 2000, the group signed with Avantgarde Music and recorded their third album, The Black Opera - Symphoniae Mysteriorum In Laude Tenebrarum. The band subsequently went through various lineup changes, releasing further albums that include Maleventum (2002), Anphisbena (2004), Strix - Maledictae In Aeternum (2012), Back to Sepulcro (2015), and The Gospel (2018).
