A blue-collar, hard-rocking, and metal-tinged outfit out of Baltimore, MD, Chosen Son were formed originally as the band Forty Acres by drummer, singer, and songwriter John Allen and guitarist Nick Kay, who had previously played together in the band Child's Play in the late '80s and early '90s, issuing a single album, Rat Race, under that name for Chrysalis Records in 1989. Allen stepped away from his drum kit to become the frontman and lead singer for Forty Acres, who self-released the album Broken Promise in 2007, with Kay sharing guitar duties with Vic Karrera and a powerful rhythm section of Anthony Arambula on bass and Jason Hesier on drums. Garnering a reputation as a charismatic live act, the band changed its name to Chosen Son and signed with Eleven Seven Music, a label run by Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe.