Because guitarist
Ahrue Luster had left the band due to creative differences, the album was written by the remaining three band members, with then-temporary guitarist
Phil Demmel only joining in for the recording sessions. When asked about the writing process for the album, vocalist and guitarist
Robb Flynn said: :"...when Ahrue quit MH to go join Nickelback wannabes Juggernaut, we made a decision to start writing as a three-piece. We didn't want to go through the whole 'try out' process, and see if some new guy would fit." A special edition of the album was also released, containing a second disc with early demo recordings of songs from the album, as well as a short video of Machine Head in the studio during the recording of the album. The band discusses the gear used to record it, as well as various issues relating to it. Machine Head recorded the album from June 16 to July 21, 2003. The band then travelled to England to mix the album with
Colin Richardson at the start of August. The album's was supposed to be mastered on August 15; as mixing took longer than expected, it was instead mastered on August 31, 2003. The band recorded an additional song, "Seasons Wither", for the North American release of the album as a measure of compensation for the American fans for having to wait so long; it was subsequently released internationally as a
B-side on the "Days Turn Blue to Gray" single. According to guitarist Demmel, the song also gives an indication of the direction the band would take with their next album,
The Blackening. In 2013, Robb Flynn released a demo for the unused track "Pins and Needles", which the band rejected for being "one of the worst songs [Flynn has] ever written when it comes to [his] vocals and vocal ideas". Despite the group's negativity towards the demo, it would later be rewritten to become the
Roadrunner United track "Army of the Sun" with Tim Williams from
Vision of Disorder on vocals. The album can be considered an encapsulation of the band at that point, stylistically concompassing all four of their previous works. It has the melodicism of
The Burning Red and
Supercharger, the darker, heavier groove of
The More Things Change and the sheer aggression of
Burn My Eyes. Lyrically, the album is rooted in stories of personal struggles, triumphs, morbidity, and abuse. The album has since proven to be a success with critics, music charts and fans. The album has been well-embraced as an excellent return to form both musically and lyrically. The difficult circumstances under which the album was recorded was documented on their concert DVD
Elegies. ==Critical reception==