Tesseract started out in 2003 while founding member Acle Kahney was recording and writing with his band Mikaw Barish.

French vocalist Julien Perier supplied vocals during Tesseract's early stages, but the logistical difficulties of distance meant that he could not join the band permanently.

[4] Acle had come into contact with Tompkins while assisting with the production of the album, Atlantic with his previous band, First Signs of Frost.

[5][6] Later that year, Tesseract toured throughout the UK in support of One with openers Chimp Spanner and Uneven Structure,[7] and also performed at the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth.

[17] On 28 February 2013, the band unveiled a release date for Altered State alongside a full track listing of the album.

The album is a 51-minute continuous piece divided into four large sections (Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality, Of Energy), each of which contains several tracks.

On 27 June 2014, it was announced that Ashe O'Hara had left the band and that Dan Tompkins would be rejoining, leaving Skyharbor in the process.

The band made frequent updates on social media depicting the members tracking multiple instruments in studio.

Several band members, including Acle Kahney and Amos Williams, acknowledged that the single was not a complete final mix and it would be further refined before its release on Sonder.

[33] Tesseract play a specific style of progressive metal and djent that features open tunings on their guitars, polyrhythmic riffs, odd time signatures and several atmospheric layers.

The band have stated that they do not compose their music with specific polyrhythms in mind, but play what they feel fits the groove.

They also include a mid-range distorted guitar tone and melodic clean passages, heavily influenced by ambient music.