Singer/guitarist Steve DeMarchi and lead vocalist Freddy Curci, both former members of the deceased Canadian band Sheriff, pulled together during the mid-'80s to write and record over four dozen demo songs. In 1988, guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, and drummer Michael Derosier, all former members of the hit group Heart, joined up with Curci and DeMarchi to form a new, short-lived rock band called Alias. In 1990, Alias released its first album, a self-titled debut recorded under the Capitol Records label. The polished album went gold in the U.S. and platinum in Canada, while several tracks enjoyed radio airplay in both countries. The power ballad "More Than Words Can Say" proved to be the band's biggest hit, climbing to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 while also doing well in adult contemporary and mainstream rock formats. A tour followed (including a stint as the opening act for REO Speedwagon), but Alias fell apart not long after the album's release, with the former Heart musicians leaving en masse. Rumors of a reunion circulated for some time but never came to fruition.