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Münster, Westphalia, summer of 2003: Tobias Buck, guitarist in the death/grind band MALZAN, forms a side project in order to pursue his interest in hardcore and Swedish death metal. The original line-up, consisting of Buck, Sebastian Heldt (d), Benny Hilleke (v), and Benjamin Donath (b), is quickly assembled, and, just before the debut show, THE NINTH GATE is chosen as the band's name. Soon after this show the band is joined by guitarist Stefan Keller, whose riff ideas further enrich the creative output of the young group.
New songs are written, and the existing ones are made to fit the band's newfound twin guitar attack. During two consecutive weekends in February 2004 the band lays down a demo at the Docma-Klang studio in Osnabrück with excellent results. The sound quality captured by producer Matze turns out to be rather exceptional for a demo CD.
The CD is immediately presented to fans and label people, gaining excellent feedback all around. The actual course of events, however, surpasses everybody's highest expectations.
2nd April 2004 - less then a year after the band's inception and only a few months into the band's existence in its present line-up - THE NINTH GATE are offered a recording contract by Metal Blade Records, literally making the five youngsters' dreams come true. Understanding that a new name is needed to replace the old moniker, which had been born more out of necessity than anything else, the quintet starts brainstorming, soon emerging with a name that represents the band's philosophy as a whole. The name is that of a character from Greek mythology, a woman who was sold into sexual slavery, being proscribed, oppressed and exploited all her life. Never entirely able to overcome her past, she was, however, "allowed" by her owners to buy her own freedom, a situation, which is sadly still a widespread reality in present times. This woman was called NEAERA.
A contract is signed between Metal Blade Records and the newly named NEAERA, who enter Stage One Studio with veteran producer Andy Classen in November 2004 in order to record their debut album. April 05th, 2005 has been set as the release for "The Rising Tide Of Oblivion", an album, which will come as a punch in the face for all fans of a sound in between metalcore and death metal.
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