New York's Profanatica—originally formed by members split from the first line-up of the legendary outfit Incantation—was one of the first black metal bands from the United States and one of the key bands of the second wave of black metal in general. Profanatica's first period of activity began in 1990 and ended just two years later—during which time the band released two demos and an EP, shocked American audiences at numerous blasphemous shows and began recording an album that was to take the name The Raping of the Virgin Mary; however, the recording tapes were destroyed in unclear circumstances and the line-up broke up shortly afterwards. Band leader Paul Ledney resurrected Profanatica in 2001 with a new line-up and has since recorded six studio albums, inspired by the music of Possessed, early Venom and Bathory, Necrovore or Sarcófago and Crowleyian occultism.