After the recording of "Once Sent..." guitarist Anders Hansson quit just a month before their first major tour with Deicide, Six Feet Under and Brutal Truth in June 98. They quickly recruited Johan Sderberg to make the line-up complete. The line-up was now solidified. "The Avenger" was recorded at Abyss Studios Sweden February to March 1999. Produced by the band, the seven-track album is a lesson in pure Viking aggression and brutality blurring the line between death and black metal.