Arcana are a duo from Sweden: Peter Pettersson, aka Peter Bjargo (samplers and synthesizers), and Ida Bengtsson (vocals). Pettersson started the project in 1993. The Song of Mourning introduced their neoclassical, symphonic, gothic music that on Dark Ages Of Reason (Cold Meat Industry, 1996) reached sublime heights.

Cantar De Procella (Cold Meat Industry, 1998) and the single Lizabeth perfected the method, bringing more light to the tenebrae.

The Last Embrace (Cold Meat Industry, 1999) and the single Isabel moved towards a medieval sound reminiscent of Dead Can Dance.

Peter Pettersson later founded Sophia and released Sophia (Cold Meat Industry, 2000), Herbstwerk (Cold Meat Industry, 2001) and Spite (CMI, 2002). The former's highlight is the lengthy suite Sigillum Militium, a progressive-rock work with the gothic, medieval, symphonic, emphatic overtones of Arcana. The latter exaggerates in the use of rolling battlefield drums.

Arcana's Inner Pale Sun (Cold Meat Industry, 2003), the first album after Ann-Mari Thim replaced Ida Bengtsson, marked an elegant return to the original sound (We Rise Above).

The New Light collects rarities.

The multi-instrumentalist Mattias Borgh joined Aracana for Le Serpent Rouge (2007) and Raspail (2008), but these albums were too derivative of Dead Can Dance to be considered anything but tributes. The project still released As Bright as a Thousand Suns (2012), featuring also keyboardist Sathorys Elenorth and violinist Nuria Luis (Lady Nott).

Peter Bjargo released the solo albums A Wave of Bitterness (2009), The Architecture of Melancholy (2011), Animus Retinentia (2017), Structures and Downfall (2019), The Translucency of Mind's Decay (2021).