Like many hardcore bands and screamo groups in its time, As Cities Burn captures an alternative metal sound with underlying Christian fundamentals, creating a dark, hostile sound while simultaneously emitting hints of religious fervor. The short-lived band has a sound similar to that of hardcore groups Underoath and As I Lay Dying, yet it is their signature ability to bring the hard rock sound down a notch that has kept As Cities Burn on iPods and radio stations even after the band's 2006 breakup.Lead singer T.J. Bonnette, guitarists Cody Bonnette and Colin Kimble, bassist Pascal Barone and drummer Bryan Dixon are to credit for forming As Cities Burn, the Christian screamo band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2002. Beginning their career with a series of live performances, the band quickly struck gold with devoted fans and pursued a more stable record career. As Cities Burn, the band's five-song eponymous debut EP release, stacked up quite well among fans, and their second EP in 2003 did even better, sparking band members to quit their day jobs to concentrate full-time on their music. A speed bump occurred when Dixon left the group to pursue a career with Oceans Firing, but the show went on, and the band hired drummer Aaron Lunsford to take Dixon's place. More touring left As Cities Burn in an advantageous position, and they quickly signed with the Tooth & Nail label, releasing the EP Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest in 2005. Despite reaching the Billboard charts and taking a name among the best hardcore bands in the nation, As Cities Burn announced their breakup in June 2006. The band had one last hurrah together, playing at 2006's Warped Tour that summer, and As Cities Burn ended their saga by playing a farewell show at the House of Blues in New Orleans in August that same year.