Originally from Roanoke, Virginia, as a child Cronise wanted to become a comic book artist, admitting he was "more interested in drawing [than songwriting] as a kid".

[4] Cronise formed The Sword in 2003 with guitarist Kyle Shutt, bassist Bryan Richie, and drummer Trivett Wingo, after writing and recording music on his own for "a few years".

[11] In an interview in 2012, he claimed that he felt Led Zeppelin was "arguably the greatest rock band of all time", adding that "they were the reason [he] started playing guitar".

[1] He went on to admit that he is inspired by literature, movies, history, and folklore, and named H. P. Lovecraft as his favourite author (as well as mentioning Robert E. Howard as another influence).

[1] It has also been noted that progressive metal band Queensrÿche, French animator and director René Laloux, and Peruvian-American author Carlos Castaneda influenced Cronise during the writing of Warp Riders.

[18] Speaking in an interview after the release of Apocryphon, the guitarist claimed that the band had been using mainly the same equipment since they formed, with the exception of "some new guitars here and there", and that he had been an exclusive user of Orange amplifiers since 1998.