Bells started with two friends, Jon Hershey and Sean Hennessey, back in 2005 after Hershey left metal band, August Burns Red. Hershey and Hennessey played casually together for years, with a number of line up changes. In 2010, Sean left This or the Apocalypse to rejoin Jon to seriously pursue music together, which is when Bells was born . Around this time Bells wrote and recorded their cover of August Burns Red's "Pangaea" which was included on the deluxe edition of the album "Leveler".