[5] Apartment 26 was formed in 1998 by vocalist Terence "Biff" Butler, guitarist Jon Greasley, bassist Louis Cruden, and keyboardist Andy "A.C." Huckvale.

The band recorded a rough demo in 1998, which then found its way to Gravity Kills member Doug Firley.

In 1999, Apartment 26 added drummer Kevin Temple to the lineup so that live drums could be incorporated alongside Huckvale's programming.

Apartment 26 embarked as part of the lineup for the 1999 version of Ozzfest, and the band gained more exposure as a result.

The band then went through a rigorous recording process for their debut album, which was strained by the exhaustive touring schedule and by living together.

One song from the sessions, "Dystopia", was included on the soundtrack for the film Heavy Metal 2000 prior to the album's release.

The album was produced by Ulrich Wild, who was known for his production work with industrial bands such as Stabbing Westward, Static-X, Powerman 5000, and others.

"[10][11] The album was tentatively titled Detachment, and was initially set for a 2003 release, with Charlie Clouser, Jason Slater and Troy Van Leeuwen producing.