It was in 1998, the band began taking on a darker, horror-punk rock sound akin to Murder City Devils, The Damned or The Misfits.
The first lineup consisted of Sundholm, whose then-stage name was Shaun Coffin, on vocals and guitar; Jeremy Abbott, who went by Jerry Attrick, on drums; and Brian "Spencer Spooks" Jones bass.
Not long after, Sam joined the band as Sammy Lugosi; and they were in a makeshift basement studio recording their first album for the fledgling label.
Not three months later and the band was scheduled to play the growing Christian indie festival TomFest and were attracting the attention of several more well established independent record labels.
The band's lyrics mixed topics regarding death, gore and general horror movie fare with a basis in Christian themes.
In live performances and photos, the band members wore old suits and pale makeup intending to appear that they had recently escaped from coffins.
The album met with some additional controversy in Christian circles due to its lyrics that dwelt on death, vampires and drug use, among other topics.
The band eventually agreed to include a card inside the Christian market CD case that explained the lyrics to each song.
The tour that followed would consist of over the top theatrics including, spitting blood, lighting their equipment on fire and on occasion, Sundholm's brother juggling knives.
The Deadlines underwent a major overhaul in October 2000 after their three-month United States tour with The Huntingtons and Squad Five-O when Sammy Lugosi, Brent Salo (a.k.a.
[1] After a period of disillusionment, lead singer Sundholm began writing new songs although, in a completely different vein and once again called on Jerry Attrick to help him flesh out the new tunes.
Not wanting to discontinue a still relatively new band, Sundholm and Abbott recruited several new members namely, Joshua Griffith (also known as Shorty Valentine) who had played in Tragedy Ann, and Tim Eurich of Killaways.