Oratory was founded in 1994 by guitarist Miguel Gomes and vocalist Marco Alves. After the band recorded two demos, Enchantation and Sarcastic Soul, the band went through line-up changes, finishing with Ana Lara (vocals), Marco Alves (vocals), Miguel Gomes (guitars), Rui Santos (bass), João Rodrigues (drums), and Antonio Silva (keyboards). With this line-up, Oratory played with other Portuguese bands, such as Tarantula, and opened for Stratovarius.

Signing to a Label and Illusion Dimensions

In 1999 Oratory signed to the Portuguese record label Recital, and released a four song EP called Last Prophecy. In March and May of 2000, Oratory and producer Luis Barros recorded Oratory's debut albumIllusion Dimensions.

Beyond Earth and Line up Changes

Vocalist Marco Alves left in February 2001 and the band continued with Ana as the main vocalist. In January 2002, Oratory re-entered the recording studio to record their second album, Beyond Earth, with producer Uwe Lulis. Beyond Earth was released in Portugal on the 20th of May, 2002; December 2, 2002 in Europe, and February 2003 in the US.
In 2004, drummer João Rodrigues left the band due to personal reasons, and was replaced by Pedro Cabral, a former Oratory member.