The band's roots reach back into the late 1990s when Adam Tanbouz, Steven Bache, Matt Williams, and vocalist Schuylar Croom began writing and performing around Wilmington, NC while still in high school. In 2003, having previously played under the names of Stronghold, No One Wins, and The Uriah Omen, the name He Is Legend was adopted by members Tanbouz, Bache, Bell, Croom, and Williams. The name He Is Legend is an adaptation of the 1954 book I am Legend by Richard Matheson.