Formed in California in 1999, the hardcore/noisecore/grindcore quartet Uphill Battle began under the name Crawlspace. Its founding members were guitarist and lead vocalist Adi Tejada, previously of Somnambulist, drummer and backing vocalist Danny Walker of Destroy Babylon, bassist and backing vocalist Graham Clise of Eat Shit & Die, and lead guitarist Eric Gormley. In May 1999 this configuration captured the group’s first demo, only to adopt the Uphill Battle name shortly afterward. The same lineup also cut a split 7" with Quest for Quintana Roo that Lo Pan Records issued.
During 2000 the roster shifted when Clise departed and Jehf Jones took over on bass, followed by Gormley’s exit and the arrival of lead guitarist Jeff Capra, also of Holier Than Thou. Uphill Battle tracked its debut full-length in March 2001 and soon signed with Relapse Records. The self-titled album appeared in mid-2002, by which time the lineup had stabilized around Tejada on guitar and lead vocals, Walker on drums and backing vocals, Capra on lead guitar, and newcomer Joe Gonzalez on bass and backing vocals.
