To enhance the weight of the tracks, the band tuned guitars lower (e.g., Sad But True is a full step lower).

Produced by , the album marked a shift from the complex, high-speed thrash of previous records to a slower, heavier, and more refined sound. The production is famously meticulous, costing over $1 million and involving three separate remixes to achieve its legendary "wall of sound".

As the bar hit 50%, Elias leaned back in his Herman Miller chair and looked at the cover art on his secondary monitor. That stark, dark grey background. The coiled snake in the bottom right corner. It was minimalist aggression. It was the sound of a band stepping out of the thrash-metal underground and grabbing the world by the throat.