Combining elements of both thrash and doom with traditional metal styles and a hoarse, hardcore vocal style, Pittsburgh, PA's Dream Death were among the more unique underground metal acts of the 1980s. Brian Lawrence (vocals/guitar), Terry Weston (guitar), and Mike Smail (drums) formed Dream Death in 1984 and promptly recorded their first demo, entitled "More Graveyard Delving." This, along with regular gigging in local clubs eventually led to a deal with second-division thrash specialists New Renaissance Records, which released the group's debut album, Journey Into Mystery, in 1987. The album gained many positive reviews but little promotional support from New Renaissance, and when Williams defected to local thrash band Eviction, the remaining members of Dream Death formed the band Penance. Penance released six well-received albums between 1992 and 2005 before calling it quits, and in 2013 reformed under their old Dream Death moniker and issued their long awaited sophomore album, Somnium Excessum. A third studio long player, Dissemination, arrived in 2016 via Rise Above Records. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi