IGNEA started in Kiev, Ukraine, under the name Parallax. Intentionally, it was the first Ukrainian band to play oriental metal, a subgenre of folk metal. The band, however, didn't limit itself to strict boundaries of oriental metal, and included elements from symphonic, industrial, modern, progressive and other modern subgenres of metal. The activity of the band started in 2013 when the band entered Morton Studio, well-known rock and metal studio in Ukraine, to record its debut EP, titled Sputnik.
In 2013, the band prepared a follow-up single titled Petrichor, featuring bouzoukitara playing and a guitar solo from Yossi Sassi, at that moment the guitarist of oriental metal fathers band, Orphaned Land.
In 2015, the band finally changed its name to IGNEA and released a new work called Alga, named after a war call of Crimean Tatar people. This song is contributed to Crimeans who are defending their land.
Alga is the first-ever original song from a Ukrainian band, recorded with a full symphonic orchestra. The video was shot unintentionally and on a low budget as the band wanted to use orchestra sessions footage in something bigger, than video diary. So far, the video gathered over 3 million views on YouTube.
Late 2016, IGNEA opened the show of Orphaned Land, fathers of oriental metal, in Kiev, Ukraine.
February 16th, 2017, the band releases its first full-length album called The Sign of Faith, consisting of 10 songs. The album has heavier sound, with lots of growls and authentic middle-eastern melodies, common for the oriental metal genre. However, the music keeps melodic fundamentals and OST feeling.
IGNEA also released an anti-terrorism video for Şeytanu Akbar from the new album. Despite provocative title of the song, the band’s intention is to carry the idea of peace. According to the band’s words: “What we want to say is that there is no reasonable cause to kill other people, be it the regime, faith or moral principles. We mainly speak about Islamic terrorism in this song, as one of the social plagues of the 21st century, taking lots of innocent lives. However, this applies to every human on Earth, regardless of their religion.”
Over 2017, IGNEA has been promoting the new album through solo shows and festivals in Ukraine within ‘The Tour of Faith’. The band has released 4 live videos in summer. In December, IGNEA has been nominated for The Best Ukrainian Metal Act awards and has entered the top 3 best metal bands in the country. January 2018, IGNEA has released an official live experience video for Şeytanu Akbar recorded at the BUMA awards and has signed a management & booking deal with The Flaming Arts Agency.
In May 2018, IGNEA has toured in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, together with Illdisposed, Shade Empire, and Soulline, as well as performed in Slovakia, Czech Republic, and at the RockMetalCampFest in France. In summer 2018 IGNEA has performed at Kilkim Žaibu (LT) and Faine Misto (UA) festivals.
September 2018, IGNEA released a new single 'Queen Dies' with a respective art video directed by Maria Goruliova.
In October 2018, the band toured 9 European countries within the Female Metal Voices Tour 2018 headlined by Butcher Babies and Kobra and the Lotus. Currently, IGNEA is working on the second full-length album.
So far, IGNEA has gained over 5 million views and 33,000 subscribers on YouTube, more than 20,000 followers on Facebook, and over 25,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
