Nagelfar were founded in 1993 by guitarist Zorn and drummer Rykthius von Meilenwald, now known as Alexander von Meilenwald. They decided that the band would only exist while both of them were members. The first steady lineup was established in 1995, when bass player Sveinn Hackelnberg joined and Jander replaced vocalist Smaug. This lineup recorded the band's first demo, Als die Tore sich öffnen in late 1995 as a rehearsal production, and their second demo, Jagd , in October 1996 in a semi-professional 8-track studio. A short time before the recordings, the band had signed a contract with Kettenhund Records from Bremen, founded in 1996 by Andreas Lacher, a former editor of the German Soluzen fanzine .