Cardavercus was formed in 1998, led by Bryan Renken, a co-founder of the band Severe Warning, and main songwriter Ace The Raven. The group emerged from the amalgamation of two prior bands. The first, led by Renken, included members Ace The Raven, Darrin Winne, and Gary "Meat" Vosecky from 1993 to 1994, later adding Mike Marczak in 1994. This lineup was active again from 1996 to 1997. The second band, which was unnamed, featured Ace, Scott, and Mike from 1994 to 1996. The two bands combined to form the new Renken lineup in 1996, which recorded a five-song demo in June 1997, featuring songs that would later become part of Cardavercus's repertoire.
In early 1998, the band adopted the name Cardavercus, a title that Ace The Raven conceived in August 1997. This name was initially part of a list of potential new names for Project Raven, which was ultimately set aside to concentrate on Renken. Throughout their existence under both names, the group performed several songs from Project Raven, as well as new material written by Ace that he would later revisit in his solo career after Cardavercus disbanded. The 1997 demo included tracks like "Immune," "The Secret (Non Omnis Moriar)," and "Life Will Decay," all originally from Project Raven. Following their name change to Cardavercus, they incorporated additional songs into their performances, including "Free," "Threshold," "The Dark Plan," "Blinded," and "The Unseen," many of which would later appear on Ace The Raven's 2005 album "Fortress of Apathy." Cardavercus also covered Nitefall's "Island of Courage... Sea of Despair," a song previously covered by both Project Raven and Ace The Raven, although none of these versions were officially released. During Renken's initial period from 1993 to 1994, the band also performed restructured songs from Severe Warning and future Cardavercus tracks such as "Cold Vengeance," "Water Into Wine," and "Dying Day," in addition to future Ace The Raven songs like "Hell Is Above" and "Journey Into Fear."
In early 1999, Cardavercus recorded their debut four-song demo, which they independently released in the spring of that year. Their official press materials from this period cited influences such as Venom, Mercyful Fate, and Sepultura. Later in 1999, the band returned to Digitrax Recording Studio to work on their second album, "Cardavercus II: We Return Again." Unfortunately, the group disbanded during the recording process, leaving the project incomplete.
In 2005, Ace The Raven reissued the demo with a new cover design on an enhanced CD, which included a bonus QuickTime video of the song "Dying Day," recorded live in concert in 1999, featuring Darrin Winne, the bassist from Severe Warning. This song also dates back to the Renken rehearsals in 1994.
After establishing the Renken/Cardavercus lineup, which consisted of Renken, Ace, Scott, and Mike, Bryan Renken initiated another band called Bat Rastard. This project included both drummers from Renken's bands, alongside original Severe Warning bassist and future Cardavercus bassist Darrin Winne, with Renken on guitars and vocals. Bat Rastard recorded a three-song demo titled "Bat Rastard Live at Practice," which was recorded live onto 8-Tracks on July 8, 1997. The band performed only two live shows, with different drummers for each performance. Following their split, Darrin filled in for several Cardavercus shows in 1998 and 1999 before officially replacing Mike Marczak in 2000, shortly before Cardavercus disbanded.
