The band was founded in 1990 in Gothenburg, Sweden, by twin brothers Per ("Hellbutcher") and Erik ("Tyrant") Gustafsson. Early versions of the band included Jon Nödtveidt and John Zwetsloot of Dissection, and in total the band recorded four albums. Nifelheim were nicknamed "Bröderna hĺrdrock" ("Heavy Metal Brothers") in 1998 when Tyrant and Hellbutcher were featured in a Swedish television documentary about their superfan obsession with Iron Maiden. Terrorizer magazine named "Servants of Darkness" one of the "top albums of the 2000s". There is now the long overdue re-release of Dissonance.