An atmosphere-heavy German folk/doom metal project founded in 1994 by Markus Stock (who operates under the pseudonym Ulf Theodor Schwadorf), Empyrium have dabbled in multiple idioms of the genre, from symphonic death metal to mystical, nature-driven neo-folk. Debuting in 1996 with the dark and bucolic Wintersunset, the band adopted a heavier, though no less melancholic approach on subsequent efforts like Turn of the Tides (2014) and Über den Sternen (2021).