German gothic metal band Ancient Ceremony was first conceived in mid-1989 by vocalist Chris Anderle and guitarist F.-J. Krebs, but did not truly begin taking shape until the additions of guitarist Dirk Wirz and drummer Christoph Mertes nearly two years later. Bassist Frank Simon signed on just long enough to record the group's first demo tape, 1993's Where Serpents Reign; a self-released EP, Cemetary Visions, appeared a year later, and upon signing to Cacophonous Records, Ancient Ceremony added keyboardist Stefan Mueller and issued the full-length Under Moonlight We Kiss in 1997. Both Krebs and Wirz exited the lineup prior to recording 1999's Fallen Angel Symphony, cut with new guitarists Marc Barbian and Patrick Meyer as well as bassist Jones; Mertes, Mueller and Barbian all left Ancient Ceremony that summer. ~ Jason Ankeny