Unit 187 was formed in Vancouver. Vancouver industrial scene influences such as Front Line Assembly and Skinny Puppy helped guide the band to write their first self-titled studio album which was released by 21st Circuitry in 1995. In 1998, the band's second album Loaded, produced by Devin Townsend gained critical acclaim with several of the songs becoming international favorites on the industrial music charts. In 1999, 21st Circuitry Records collapsed, and left the band to find a new home for their music. In 2001, 187 released Capital Punishment on their new label, COP International. Mixes by Ken 'Hiwatt' Marshall and Anthony Valcic made the album stand out as the band's best to date and cemented their unique deep electronic sound as something apart from the ordinary, according to critics.