The band was formed by brothers Jeff and Eric Clayton in mid-1989. By the time of its first tour in 1993, the band was Eric Clayton – vocals, Jeff Clayton – guitars, Dean Forsyth – bass, Jayson Heart – drums, and Nathan Van Hala – keyboards. The band took its name from a song on the David Bowie album "The Man Who Sold the World". Saviour Machine recorded and released their first demos in 1990. A theatrical stage show featuring pyrotechnics, images projected onto a background screen and other props attracted a growing fan base in Southern California.