Garden of Shadows began in the summer of 1995 in Maryland, USA, with the line-up of Brian (guitars), Mary (guitars), Chad (vocals), Scott (keyboards), Dave (bass) and Kevin (drums). Within a few months, they parted ways with drummer Kevin due to musical differences, and bassist Dave left shortly after. The band went through over a year of stagnation working with various drummers. In the fall of 1996, Bret (former drummer for Maryland's Sadistic Torment) joined the band, enabling them to finally realise their vision.