After spending sometime being apart in the Christian death metal scene, Emil Nikolaisen took his guitar and moved on from playing in Extol to something a little poppier. So upon recruiting his sister Elvira as the singer, Remi Christiansen (guitars) Tommy Akerholdt (drums) and Oystein Aase (bass) joined the ranks to form Royal in 1996. With their style indie-noise and pop completely contradicting their surrounding black metal scene of Sweden, Soulscape Records liked what they heard and released their debut "My Dear" in 1998. That same year, it was licensed through Tooth and Nail Records for a United States Distribution. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide