Emerging from Los Angeles in 2003, Bleed the Dream cultivated a passionate screamo-rock hybrid sound. L.A. natives Dave Aguilera on guitar and keys joined forces with Baltimore natives Brandon Thomas on vocals and Keith Thompson on bass and vocals, while drummer Scott Gottlieb completed the initial lineup. Guided by a D.I.Y. ethic and drawing from influences spanning Bad Brains, Faith No More, Radiohead, and Glassjaw, the band logged countless miles in a van to cultivate an audience through consistent live performances. Those efforts secured slots across the 2003, 2004, and 2005 editions of the Warped Tour. The rock-oriented EP Awake surfaced on Noize Pollution in 2003, prompting the group to launch its own imprint, Maphia Records, the following year and release the acoustic EP Asleep. That record later returned in July 2006 with two previously unreleased tracks bundled alongside the documentary DVD No Apologies.
Warped Tour appearances and mounting attention around the EPs led to a deal with Warcon Enterprises, the new label founded by Warped mastermind Kevin Lyman. During a spring 2004 run supporting Matchbook Romance, Gottlieb fell ill and received a leukemia diagnosis at a local hospital. While he pursued treatment, the remaining members pressed forward with a temporary drummer and directed much of their tour earnings toward his mounting medical costs, since he lacked health insurance. Those activities included a 2005 Taste of Chaos appearance alongside the Used and My Chemical Romance. Work also continued on the debut full-length, which Gottlieb remarkably completed on drums. Tragically, he passed away on April 10, 2005, while awaiting a bone marrow transplant. Built by Blood reached stores the next month. With Tom Breyfogle installed on drums, Bleed the Dream logged early 2006 dates across the United States and abroad alongside Hawthorne Heights, Story of the Year, and Funeral for a Friend. Vocalist Thomas departed that May over creative differences and was succeeded by Mark Holmes before summer concluded.
