DARKEND stands for Extreme Ritual Art: a combination of ancient ceremonial chants mixed with arcane symphonies, nocturnal ambiences and sulphur riffs engraved on black metal patterns. The first full-length “Assassine” (2010) quickly took the band abroad to tour throughout Europe with ROTTING CHRIST, SAMAEL, MELECHESH & KEEP OF KALESSIN, bringing on stage a unique mix of sound, theatre and occult ceremony: from esoteric epitaphs and incense burning to ghastly skulls, grave candles and dead branches, every single detail is meant to build a spiritual mist of bleakness and horror. With rave reception by fans and critics, the second album “Grand Guignol - Book I” (2012) consolidated the band’s spot on the international metal map and allowed DARKEND to proudly embark on a long, crushing European tour supporting legendary CRADLE OF FILTH & GOD SEED. 2013 and 2014 saw the band perform at well-reputed European festivals alongside MAYHEM, IMMORTAL, MORBID ANGEL, TAAKE, SHINING, NILE, KREATOR, SODOM, INQUISITION, DESTRUCTION, BELPHEGOR and many other iconic acts. The brand new album “The Canticle Of Shadows”, featuring some revered figures of the metal scene, is a further step towards the Abyss, taking every element to the extreme: a darker, heavier and far more intense monument than ever before. DARKEND exclusively perform an OBSCURE RITUAL with two horns: one for the MANTRA, one for the EXORCISM.