Ajattara formed in 1996 as a side project of Amorphis singer Pasi Koskinen. Their first release was a demo tape entitled "Helvetissä on syntisen taivas" which was released in 1998. The band then signed to Spikefarm Records and went on to release three albums - "Itse" in 2001, "Kuolema" in 2003 and "Tyhjyys" in 2004. These albums were met with largely good reviews. Ajattara released the Christmas singles "Ilon juhla" in November 2004 and "Joulu" in November 2005. The band then went on to release another album in 2006, entitled "Äpäre", which was met with similar reviews as their last three albums. The band continued with the Christmas single tradition of 2004 and 2005 by releasing a single entitled "Sika" in 2006.