Howard Jones (vocals) formed Blood Has Been Shed in 1997, several years before he became a member of Killswitch Engage. The original line-up also featured Corey Unger (guitar), Todd Beaton (guitar), Chris (bass), and John Lynch (drums), and made its debut in 1999 with the independently released I Dwell On Thoughts Of You. The album was picked up for distribution by the Ferret Records label, and with their profile on the rise the band underwent a series of personnel changes, with guitarists Daniel Daponde and Brendan MacDonald and bass player Richard Thurston passing through the line-up. By the time the band’s third and best album, Spirals was released in 2003 (for new label Roadrunner Records), the line-up also featured Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley with Lynch switching to bass. Jones and Foley have continued to balance their membership of both bands, although Killswitch Engage is far more widely known.