Immortal Bird was formed in early 2013 by drummer/vocalist and Berklee College of Music graduate Rae Amitay (formerly of JUNO-winning metal band Woods of Ypres and Polaris Prize nominated Mares of Thrace)[2] as a writing project between themselves and guitarist/arranger Evan Berry.

Following the addition of bassist John Picillo, the band recorded their debut EP, Akrasia at Lo-Tech Laboratories where it was then mixed by Kurt Ballou and mastered by Brad Boatright.

The band quickly garnered a hometown following as well, with the Chicago Reader calling it "sick and greasy black metal that does an admirable job inventing the sound of a mind tearing itself apart.

"[7] The album's track "Saprophyte" was premiered by NPR and hailed as "find[ing] the sweet spot between guitarist Kurt Ballou's menacing melodies for Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan's battle-ready tech-metal, and Carcass' unrelenting (and often catchy) death-metal-spiked grindcore.

"[8] Empress/Abscess was praised by Adrien Begrand of PopMatters, saying, "It's hateful, violent, and at times strikingly beautiful.”[9] Following the album's release, the band toured the West coast of the United States in October 2015, including a main stage performance at Southwest Terror Fest alongside Landmine Marathon, Dropdead, Sleep, and more.