Formed in Sala, Sweden, during 1996, the melodic death metal outfit In Thy Dreams drew from the same sonic palette as fellow countrymen In Flames and Dark Tranquility yet never approached their commercial reach. Guitarist Jari Kuusisto and drummer Stefan Westerberg assembled the lineup that, by the time of its first releases in 1999, also included vocalist Jonas Nyren, guitarist Hakan Stuvemark, and bassist Fredrik Ericssonn. Those efforts—an EP titled Stream of Dispraised Souls and the full-length The Gate of Pleasure—emerged while Kuusisto and Westerberg simultaneously devoted energy to their more prominent neo-thrash and death metal group Carnal Forge. By 2001 the pair chose to concentrate exclusively on Carnal Forge, electing to disband In Thy Dreams once the follow-up album Highest Beauty appeared. That record, markedly more aggressive than its predecessors, featured vocalist Thomas Lindfors and guest bass work from Carnal Forge’s Petri Kuusisto.
