In February 2004, Kevin Sharp was the tour driver for Napalm Death on The Art of Noise tour with Nile, Strapping Young Lad, Dark Tranquillity and The Berzerker. Shane Embury and Sharp were already acquainted, and "some beers, pizza and old vinyl classics by Poison Idea, Black Flag and Systematic Death" renewed their friendship. They decided to start a band together. Embury remembered:
Napalm were on tour with Nile and when the driver had to leave, Kevin Sharp who sang for Brutal Truth, stood in for him. I ended up going back to Chicago with him and we said, "Hey, how come we've never been in a band together? We both loved mid-80's punk, we both loved Poison Idea and Black Flag", so that was the starting point.[4]
They recruited Buzz Osborne of the Melvins on guitar and Napalm Death's Danny Herrera on drums, and released their debut Retroactive Abortion (2004) via Mike Patton's Ipecac Recordings.[1] The band replaced Osborne with Danny Lilker for their second album, Poisoned Apple (2008).[5] In 2006, Belgian record label Hypertension Records re-issued Retroactive Abortion on vinyl.[6]
