Emerging from the shadows of grief, reflection, and the raw beauty of metal, DREAMS OF GRAY returns with their new EP, A Beginning, set for release on September 5th, 2025. Based in Chicago, IL, this one-man project helmed by Luis Rivera first turned heads with the 2023 debut The World After—an independent release that earned praise from the global metal press. Critics from highlighted the debut's sharp songwriting, emotional weight, and its fusion of melodic death, doom, and thrash metal. Now, A Beginning builds upon that foundation and pushes the project’s boundaries even further.
Though DREAMS OF GRAY began as a solo endeavor, Rivera has always surrounded himself with top-tier collaborators to bring his compositions to life. On A Beginning, he is joined by Maria Kosma on bass, Nicole Trinchero on drums for the title track, and Scott Elliot, who handled drum programming on "Beyond the Sky" and "Across the Endless Sea" while also contributing engineering, mixing, and mastering to both. Meanwhile, Josh Middleton took on engineering and mixing duties for "A Beginning", as well as mastering the track. The result is an EP that feels cohesive but unpredictable, aggressive yet melodic, and deeply personal without ever losing sight of metal’s cathartic power.
The EP opens with "A Beginning", a track that embodies the thematic and sonic range of the release. It flows from haunting melodies into crushing intensity, shifting gears between clean vocals and growls, mid-tempo movements and furious headbanging riffs. Its lyrical content wrestles with existential grief—how the living cope with loss, and what unresolved questions remain after someone we love is gone. Rivera's performance here is dynamic, moving between softness and fury, crafting a song that challenges convention but never forgets to move the listener.
"Beyond the Sky" follows as the EP’s most direct track—a high-energy explosion rooted in death metal and thrash. It’s an anthem for the live stage, but beneath its furious pace is a meditation on the soul’s journey through eternity. The song blends brutal riffs with melody in a way that fans of IN FLAMES, AMORPHIS, or DARK TRANQUILITY will appreciate. Here, Rivera asks the big questions: What lies beyond this life? What does peace look like for a restless soul?
Closing the EP is "Across the Endless Sea", perhaps the most dynamic composition in the DREAMS OF GRAY discography so far. While it offers some of the EP’s fastest passages, it never sacrifices melody. In fact, the chorus showcases new approaches to Rivera’s clean vocals—experimental, memorable, and emotionally resonant. There’s even a trace of black metal’s influence in the guitar textures, cleverly reworked to serve the EP’s broader melodic vision. Lyrically, the song explores the interconnectedness of life—how we are all part of a web that links the living with the departed, and how each of us carries others forward across our own seas.
What sets DREAMS OF GRAY apart is not just the fusion of genres—from melodic death and doom to thrash and heavy metal—but Rivera’s refusal to create throwaway music. Every riff, every lyric, and every vocal line is deliberate. There is elegance within the aggression, clarity within the chaos. His music invites you to headbang, yes—but also to reflect, to feel, to connect. Lyrics are intelligible by design, encouraging listeners to engage deeply rather than just react sonically. A Beginning isn’t just a collection of songs. It’s a statement of intent: that melody, melancholy, and metal can coexist with integrity.
This EP arrives after a journey as unpredictable as the music itself. Outside of metal, Luis Rivera is a Family Medicine Physician—an artist with a scientific mind, balancing a high-pressure career with a relentless drive to create. Formerly an electrician and a member of ABOLISHER (a band with acclaim in Metal Maniacs and Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles back in 2002), Rivera took a long pause from music to pursue medicine. Now, with that chapter stabilized, he returns fully committed to his artistic vision.
For those who long for a new voice in melodic extreme metal—one that remembers the spirit of PARADISE LOST, the introspection of OPETH, and the energy of SLAYER—DREAMS OF GRAY offers something vital, something that sounds familiar yet undeniably new. With A Beginning, this project redefines what it means to start again.
About DREAMS OF GRAY:
DREAMS OF GRAY is the melodic extreme metal project of Chicago-based musician and physician Luis Rivera. Blending elements of melodic death, doom, thrash, and traditional heavy metal, the music is as emotionally resonant as it is sonically intense. Founded in 2022, DREAMS OF GRAY quickly made an impact with the independently released debut EP The World After in 2023, earning critical acclaim across the international metal press.
Known for its compelling fusion of melody and heaviness, DREAMS OF GRAY stands out for intelligent songwriting, deeply human lyricism, and an uncompromising creative vision. Rivera’s music confronts themes of loss, grief, resilience, and existential reflection—delivered through dynamic vocals and powerful, layered instrumentation.
Now joined by a cast of talented collaborators, DREAMS OF GRAY continues to evolve with the upcoming EP A Beginning (2025), a bold and immersive follow-up that further refines the project’s genre-defying sound. Whether you’re drawn to the introspection of OPETH, the melodic fire of IN FLAMES, or the weight of PARADISE LOST, DREAMS OF GRAY offers something uniquely honest and unforgettable in today’s extreme metal landscape.
Connect With DREAMS OF GRAY:
Bandcamp: https://dreamsofgray.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Dreams-of-Gray-100090219272895/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamsofgray/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dreamsofgray
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/10SZBmhCP8bJHMX5lyCshB
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dreams-of-gray/1662301376
Though DREAMS OF GRAY began as a solo endeavor, Rivera has always surrounded himself with top-tier collaborators to bring his compositions to life. On A Beginning, he is joined by Maria Kosma on bass, Nicole Trinchero on drums for the title track, and Scott Elliot, who handled drum programming on "Beyond the Sky" and "Across the Endless Sea" while also contributing engineering, mixing, and mastering to both. Meanwhile, Josh Middleton took on engineering and mixing duties for "A Beginning", as well as mastering the track. The result is an EP that feels cohesive but unpredictable, aggressive yet melodic, and deeply personal without ever losing sight of metal’s cathartic power.
The EP opens with "A Beginning", a track that embodies the thematic and sonic range of the release. It flows from haunting melodies into crushing intensity, shifting gears between clean vocals and growls, mid-tempo movements and furious headbanging riffs. Its lyrical content wrestles with existential grief—how the living cope with loss, and what unresolved questions remain after someone we love is gone. Rivera's performance here is dynamic, moving between softness and fury, crafting a song that challenges convention but never forgets to move the listener.
"Beyond the Sky" follows as the EP’s most direct track—a high-energy explosion rooted in death metal and thrash. It’s an anthem for the live stage, but beneath its furious pace is a meditation on the soul’s journey through eternity. The song blends brutal riffs with melody in a way that fans of IN FLAMES, AMORPHIS, or DARK TRANQUILITY will appreciate. Here, Rivera asks the big questions: What lies beyond this life? What does peace look like for a restless soul?
Closing the EP is "Across the Endless Sea", perhaps the most dynamic composition in the DREAMS OF GRAY discography so far. While it offers some of the EP’s fastest passages, it never sacrifices melody. In fact, the chorus showcases new approaches to Rivera’s clean vocals—experimental, memorable, and emotionally resonant. There’s even a trace of black metal’s influence in the guitar textures, cleverly reworked to serve the EP’s broader melodic vision. Lyrically, the song explores the interconnectedness of life—how we are all part of a web that links the living with the departed, and how each of us carries others forward across our own seas.
What sets DREAMS OF GRAY apart is not just the fusion of genres—from melodic death and doom to thrash and heavy metal—but Rivera’s refusal to create throwaway music. Every riff, every lyric, and every vocal line is deliberate. There is elegance within the aggression, clarity within the chaos. His music invites you to headbang, yes—but also to reflect, to feel, to connect. Lyrics are intelligible by design, encouraging listeners to engage deeply rather than just react sonically. A Beginning isn’t just a collection of songs. It’s a statement of intent: that melody, melancholy, and metal can coexist with integrity.
This EP arrives after a journey as unpredictable as the music itself. Outside of metal, Luis Rivera is a Family Medicine Physician—an artist with a scientific mind, balancing a high-pressure career with a relentless drive to create. Formerly an electrician and a member of ABOLISHER (a band with acclaim in Metal Maniacs and Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles back in 2002), Rivera took a long pause from music to pursue medicine. Now, with that chapter stabilized, he returns fully committed to his artistic vision.
For those who long for a new voice in melodic extreme metal—one that remembers the spirit of PARADISE LOST, the introspection of OPETH, and the energy of SLAYER—DREAMS OF GRAY offers something vital, something that sounds familiar yet undeniably new. With A Beginning, this project redefines what it means to start again.
About DREAMS OF GRAY:
DREAMS OF GRAY is the melodic extreme metal project of Chicago-based musician and physician Luis Rivera. Blending elements of melodic death, doom, thrash, and traditional heavy metal, the music is as emotionally resonant as it is sonically intense. Founded in 2022, DREAMS OF GRAY quickly made an impact with the independently released debut EP The World After in 2023, earning critical acclaim across the international metal press.
Known for its compelling fusion of melody and heaviness, DREAMS OF GRAY stands out for intelligent songwriting, deeply human lyricism, and an uncompromising creative vision. Rivera’s music confronts themes of loss, grief, resilience, and existential reflection—delivered through dynamic vocals and powerful, layered instrumentation.
Now joined by a cast of talented collaborators, DREAMS OF GRAY continues to evolve with the upcoming EP A Beginning (2025), a bold and immersive follow-up that further refines the project’s genre-defying sound. Whether you’re drawn to the introspection of OPETH, the melodic fire of IN FLAMES, or the weight of PARADISE LOST, DREAMS OF GRAY offers something uniquely honest and unforgettable in today’s extreme metal landscape.
Connect With DREAMS OF GRAY:
Bandcamp: https://dreamsofgray.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Dreams-of-Gray-100090219272895/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamsofgray/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dreamsofgray
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/10SZBmhCP8bJHMX5lyCshB
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dreams-of-gray/1662301376