My Ruin was founded by vocalist Tairrie B Murphy in Los Angeles, California, in February 1999, following the dissolution of her previous band Tura Satana. The duo began with the debut single "Tainted Love" (cover) and the EP The Shape of Things to Come… in 1999, establishing a hybrid sound of metal, industrial, and spoken‑word elements. In 1999 the band released its first full‑length Speak & Destroy, produced by Snapper, which charted in the UK. The follow‑up A Prayer Under Pressure Of Violent Anguish (2000) continued the heavier direction and was released by Snapper in the UK and by Spitfire in the US; the single "Beauty Fiend" achieved a top‑ten position in the UK Rock & Metal chart. Subsequent releases included The Horror Of Beauty (2003, Century Media), The Brutal Language (2005, Rovena), Throat Full of Heart (2008, Rovena), Ghosts And Good Stories (2010, Tiefdruck), Speak & Destroy (2011, self‑released), and A Prayer Under Pressure Of Violent Anguish (2013, self‑released). Throughout the decade My Ruin toured Europe, the UK, and the US, signed with Tiefdruck in 2009, and maintained a DIY ethic that led to several self‑released compilations and live albums such as Alive on the Other Side (2008).