Polish death metal band Decapitated is celebrating its 20th anniversary as a band this year. It is a career that has been filled with major triumphs and devastating tragedies.

Formed in 1996 by 15-year-old guitarist WacÅ‚aw “Vogg” KieÅ‚tyka and his 12-year-old brother Witold “Vitek” KieÅ‚tyka, the band would sign their first record deal before the members were out of their teens. Over the course of their first four albums, Decapitated established themselves as one of the preeminent technical death metal bands in the world.

Sadly, tragedy stuck the band while touring Eastern Europe in 2007 when their tour van collided with a logging truck. Vitek was killed at the age of 23, while singer Adrian “Covan” Kowanek was left in a coma. He has not fully recovered from his injuries to this day.

Polish technical death metal titans Decapitated have had a storied career, from signing their record deal while still in their teens in the late 1990s to a bus accident in 2007 that left their drummer dead and their singer in a coma. The band went on a two-year hiatus after the tragedy before deciding to continue with a new drummer and singer.

2011 saw Decapitated make a triumphant return with the critically acclaimed album Carnival Is Forever. Now comes the band’s sixth album, Blood Mantra, which already has the metal world abuzz.