The band was formed in 2005 by guitarist John LaRussa (former member of the band Narcissus) and bassist Brian Pittman (former member of the band Relient K). In 2006, they added vocalist Ryland Raus and Bobby Poole II on drums prior to the recording and release of their Solid State Records debut, "The Lost. The Sick. The Sacred". They shot two videos for the album singles "A Call to the Faithful" and "Redemption", both of which appeared on Fuse's "Top 20 Countdown" and MTV's "Headbangers Ball". The video for "A Call to the Faithful" was featured on the front page of Myspace at the time, and was one of the band's major hits with fans live and online. They were also featured in "Revolver" and "Alternative Press".