In 1988, Ross Assink and Ernie Pratt formed Arbitrage as a classic hard rock band in Washington State; Pratt left after one year, however, and Assink shifted to an industrial-metal sound with heavy guitars and samples. He released a collection of demos and then three independent albums: Music for the Sacrifice, The Healing Power of Death (1992) and Propitiation Complete: The Shedding of Deity's Blood (1994). Assink also works in the industrial-noise project Citadel of Susa with his wife Monica. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide