PENANCE (USA/PA)

Penance was an American doom metal band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PENANCE began in 1989 with the members of Pittsburgh area band DREAM DEATH moving more solely in a classic Doom direction. Drummer Mike Smail, guitarist Terry Weston, and bassist Rich Freund (who had replaced original bass player Ted Williams in Dream Death, following Williams' departure to another local band, EVICTION) recorded the "LIVING TRUTH" demo, with Brian (Lawrence) Goodbread originally a guest member. With Brian Goodbread (himself a founding member of Dream Death) handling vocals and rhythm guitar, PENANCE recorded and released "THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED" on Rise Above Records in 1992, and would go on and tour Europe in support of the album the following year, alongside fellow doom titans SLEEP and CATHEDRAL. Goodbread left the band before the tour, and Lee Smith became the group's singer, with Weston being backed by CATHEDRAL'S Gaz Jennings on rhythm guitar for the tour.  New members Lee Smith and Frank Miller were on board following the departures of Goodbread and later Freund, and this line-up recorded 1994's "PARALLEL CORNERS". With better production and a broader release, the album helped the band to gain more fans worldwide. Sometime after Miller left the group, and Lee Smith ran into visa issues, subsequently having to return to England, Weston and Smail would eventually begin working with vocalist Brian "Butch" Balich. In 1998 the band recorded and released the "BRIDGES TO BURN" demo, with a little help from Brian Goodbread, who played bass on the recording. The demo let fans and record labels know Penance was still active and working on new material. With new bassist Ron Leard on board, the band would release their next full length album, 1999's "PROVING GROUND", themselves. This same line-up would also record the "TURN FOR THE WORSE" demo in 2000, which featured songs later released on "ALPHA AND OMEGA". The band's eventual new label, MARTYR MUSIC, would remix, remaster and re-release "PROVING GROUND" in 2001.


RELATED BANDS:
Dream Death
Doomwatch

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LIVING TRUTH 1990 DEMO

Printed covers. Lyrics on back. Recorded onto regular studio tape usually with stickers on the shell

TRACK LISTING:
- Contemplation
- Born to Suffer
- Crosses We Bear
- In Spite of You
- Penance

 

BRIDGES TO BURN 1998 DEMO

Printed covers. Came with lyrics on another sheet of paper. Tapes had stickers on the shell.

TRACK LISTING:
- Bitter
- Dead Already
- Never Lost
- Bleed You

DEMO FLYERS

BAND PHOTOS