專輯在美國洛杉磯的一對一錄音室(One On One Studio)進行了長達八個月時間的錄製,耗資一百萬美元,重新混音了三次[6],期間樂團成員經常與他們的新製作人鮑勃·洛克發生爭執[7]。龐雜的錄音工作及巨大壓力亦導致除詹姆斯·海特菲尔德之外三位成員(拉尔斯·乌尔里希、柯克·哈米特與時任成員傑森·紐斯特)相繼與首任妻子離婚,柯克表示,婚姻問題反而幫助了他們的演奏,因為他們“試圖把內疚和挫折的感受藉由音樂抒發,反而得到一些正面的東西”[8][9]。
^ The troubled production coincided with Ulrich, Hammett, and Newsted divorcing their wives; Hammett said this influenced their playing because they were "trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it".
^Tannenbaum, Rob. Playboy Interview: Metallica. Playboy. 2001-04. (原始内容存档于2009-10-26). Lars, Jason and I were going through divorces. I was an emotional wreck. I was trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it.