Born from the ashes of Arkhaaam, Retentum Curiae saw the light of day in September 2001.

Retentum Curiae was initially conceived as a project in which all instruments, except drums, would be performed by Pakal exclusively ; Pakal recruited Yannick, drummer for the punk/rock band Burn at All [from Fougères, France] who, intrigued by the idea, decided to lend a helping hand.

As successive rehearsals went by, the idea of recruiting additional band members appeared ; Nico [guitars/ex- Enlève ton Doigt], Matt [bass/ex- Morbid Rites] and Fred [vokills/ex- Pure Evil] joined the line-up.

Influenced by the Thrash and Black Metal bands of the 80s and 90s [Agressor, Coroner, Kreator, Incubus, Celtic Frost et al.], Retentum Curiaes music is fast, technical and melodic.
The bands lyrics are written in French and deal with occultism, witchcraft and rural folklore.

In July 2003, with successful gigs under its belt, the band recorded its first demo CD entitled Au Nom de la Bête [In the name of the Beast], comprising 7 tracks for approx. 30 minutes.

In January 2004, Retentum Curiae inked a deal with Danish label Ancient Darkness Records, with a view to recording a split CD & LP with Devil Lee Rot / Pagan Rites. Since, the band has acquired a solid renown on stage, playing at many gigs in the west of France and successfully opening for Impaled Nazarene in Rennes, in May 2004.

In early 2005, Retentum Curiae released their second demo, "Lex Talionis"; the band has since been featured on many compilation CDs, including "BREIZH DISORDER" and the METALLIAN MAGAZINE sampler.

The "AR MEGIDDO MMV" split LP is being pressed as you read these lines, and French tours have already been scheduled by the band in 2006.

Source : http://www.myspace.com/retentum