Aura Noir formed in Oslo in 1995 as a result of Aggressor and Apollyon's frustration with the metal underground’s trends and fads. They saw a gap that needed to be filled with something real, something metal. They intended to create a band that combined influences of 80s luminaries such as Sodom, Celtic Frost, Venom, Voivod, Dark Angel etc. Thus, black thrash metal was born.