Starting out as the hardcore band Pright in December 1997, Belgium's Death Before Disco saw various lineup and stylistic changes since switching to its current name in 2000. Carrying over from Pright were singer Stefaan Leleu and guitarists Birger Finaut and Frederik De Moor; the guys took influence from bands like Converge and Cave In to explore a musical terrain somewhere between the metallic hardcore of Poison the Well and the nu metal of the Deftones. Antoine Cornet replaced bassist Nanou in September 2000 before the guys recorded four songs for a split with fellow countrymen Severance on Eye Spy Records.

Leading up to the record's June 2001 release, Death Before Disco looked to expand their sound by adding a second vocalist who would focus more on singing to balance Leleu's more abrasive approach. They went through two singers before settling down with Jean-Pierre Mottin. After recording another split release, this time with California's What Lies Within, more lineup changes ensued. Ace Zec replaced drummer Tijl Verhée and Leleu exited sometime afterwards to go back to school. The split then appeared in January 2003 on Goodlife Recordings, the label Death Before Disco had inked a deal with in the months prior. By the end of the year, the band featured a new bassist and sole vocalist, Yannick Dumarey and Ioan Kaes, respectively. Together for less than a year, the newly minted quintet's debut full-length, Party Bullet, was issued in April 2004. Barricades followed two years later under a worldwide license with Lifeforce. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi