Secret Archives of the Vatican was formed in 1988 by Vince Millett, who was joined in the early 1990s by Louis Counter. They were influenced by the clubs of the Asian Underground scene and also by artists such as Transglobal Underground and Bill Laswell. The band’s music is usually described as Transglobal Breakbeat Dub Science, as it contains elements of many genres: breakbeat, dub, dubstep, drumstep, triphop, drum and bass, Indian, Arabian and Turkish musical forms, medieval and Nordic folk traditions and much more. There is often a mythological, fantasy or science fiction element to the subject matter of the music. There has always been a strong visual identity along these lines in the band's artwork and videos.