Part of the L.A. death rock scene of the early '80s, Pompeii 99 is probably best known for being absorbed into the much better-known goth rock outfit Christian Death. The band was founded in 1981 by Australian-born guitarist/singer Valor Kand and keyboardist/singer Gitane Demone, who met via an ad in the paper when Kand was fresh out of high school. Fascinated by Nostradamus, Kand took the band name from a prophecy that a disaster similar to that of Pompeii would befall humanity in the year 1999. Through auditions, Kand and Demone met drummer David Parkinson, who would later change his name to David Glass; they also worked with Marc Doten and Polly Klemmer for a time. Pompeii 99 gathered a following on the L.A. club scene, fitting in alongside so-called death rock bands like Christian Death and .45 Grave. Later in 1981, the group formed its own record label, Nostradamus, and released its debut full-length album, Look at Yourself, financed in part with help from their parents. An EP, Ignorance Is the Control, followed in 1982. Pompeii 99 was scheduled to open for Christian Death on a European tour; when their original lineup collapsed, leader Rozz Williams decided along with Kand, Demone, and Glass to fuse the two bands into a new version of Christian Death. Williams would depart in 1985, leaving the three core members of Pompeii 99 as the center of Christian Death for several years afterward. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi