Angtoria

Lore & Background

The band began when Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn became friends while touring with Therion and Evergrey in 2001. They produced a four-track film soundtrack-like demo in 2004, intended only for record companies. In May 2005, Angtoria won a competition at gothmetal.net, earning inclusion on a compilation CD. Tommy Rehn joined the band in late 2005 after 99% of the album was written. The band signed with French label Listenable Records.

Their debut album, God Has a Plan for Us All, was released on April 27, 2006. It features two tracks from the earlier demo. The bassist was Dave Pybus, and male vocals on 'Original Sin' were recorded by Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride. The band name Angtoria comes from a song by Moahni Moahna, a band in which Tommy Rehn was a member from 1992 to 1997.

In 2020, Sarah Jezebel Deva's official Facebook music page announced that Angtoria would continue writing music under a different name. Sarah and Chris parted ways with Tommy Rehn, and because he originated the band name, they could no longer use it. The band's website was subsequently suspended.

Reader's Guide

Angtoria occupies a niche in symphonic metal as a project that brought together musicians from notable acts such as Cradle of Filth, My Dying Bride, and Therion. Their sole album, God Has a Plan for Us All, remains their only full-length release, and its two demo tracks provide a link to the band's early development. The band's dissolution in 2020 due to a naming dispute with Tommy Rehn highlights the legal complexities that can arise when a band name is tied to a single member. Despite their brief existence, Angtoria is remembered for its ambitious orchestral sound and the collaborative spirit of its members. The planned reunion between Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn for a new album, announced publicly, suggests that the creative partnership may continue under a different name, preserving the musical legacy of the original project.

Did You Know?

• Angtoria won a competition at gothmetal.net in May 2005, with the prize being inclusion on a compilation CD.
• The debut album features two tracks from the band's 2004 demo, Across Angry Skies.
• In 2020, the band announced it would continue under a different name because Tommy Rehn, who coined the name Angtoria, left the group.

Formation & Origins

Angtoria emerged from a personal connection rather than a calculated musical partnership. In 2001, British vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva and Swedish guitarist Chris Rehn crossed paths while both were on the road with Therion and Evergrey. That touring friendship planted the seed for what would become a symphonic metal project. The band's name itself carries a curious lineage: it was lifted from a song by Moahni Moahna, a group in which Chris's brother Tommy Rehn had played lead guitar from 1992 to 1997. Tommy did not join the Angtoria lineup until late 2005, after the bulk of their debut material was already written. By then, Sarah and Chris had been collaborating for nearly four years, first producing a four-track, film-soundtrack-inspired demo in 2002 that was circulated solely to record labels as an unofficial pitch. The full lineup ultimately included drummer John Henriksson and bassist Dave Pybus alongside the three founding members, creating a blend of British and Scandinavian sensibilities that defined the project's identity.

The Debut Album

The band's sole full-length release, God Has a Plan for Us All, arrived on April 27, 2006, on the French label Listenable Records. The recording process brought in two notable guests: Dave Pybus, known for his work with Cradle of Filth and Anathema, handled bass duties, while Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride contributed male vocals on the track "Original Sin." Two songs from the earlier 2002 demo made it into the final album, giving listeners a thread connecting the project's earliest sketches to its polished debut. The album represented the culmination of a long gestation period—Sarah and Chris had been writing material since their 2001 meeting, and by late 2005, when Tommy finally joined, ninety-nine percent of the record was already composed. The project also had a small but meaningful public milestone before the album dropped: in May 2005, Angtoria won a competition hosted by gothmetal.net, earning a spot on a compilation CD that introduced their sound to a wider audience of gothic and symphonic metal fans.

Pre-Album Journey & Early Work

Before the polished debut, Angtoria's story was one of patient, behind-the-scenes development. The first tangible output was a four-track, film-soundtrack-inspired CD produced in 2002, which Sarah and Chris circulated exclusively to record companies as an unofficial demo. This was followed by Across Angry Skies, a 2004 demo that further refined their sound and likely served as additional material for label pitches. The band's breakthrough moment came in May 2005, when they won a competition on the gothmetal.net website. The prize was inclusion on a compilation CD—a modest but significant validation that their symphonic metal approach resonated with the niche community. Around the same time, the band secured a deal with Listenable Records, a French label, which would eventually release their debut. The timeline reveals a group that spent years honing their identity before committing to a full album, with Tommy Rehn's late-2005 arrival serving as the final piece that completed the core trio and allowed the recording to move forward.

Dissolution & Legacy

Angtoria's story ended not with a dramatic breakup announcement but with a practical naming dispute. In 2020, Sarah Jezebel Deva posted on her official Facebook music page that the project would continue writing music under a different name. The reason was straightforward: Sarah and Chris had parted ways with Tommy Rehn, and because he was the one who originally chose the band's name, borrowed from a Moahni Moahna song, they could no longer use it. Their website was suspended around the same time, effectively closing the public door on the Angtoria brand. Despite the dissolution, Sarah publicly expressed her intention to reunite with Chris for a new album at some point in the future, suggesting the creative partnership between the two remained intact even after the trio fractured. For fans, the band's legacy rests on a single debut album, two demos, and the knowledge that a distinctive British-Swedish symphonic metal voice existed briefly but with genuine ambition.