Originally named The Butcher's Hand, An Answer Can Be Found was written by vocalist and guitarist Deron Miller with assistance from Ginsburg, and featured a number of songs from early in the band's career.
"Behind the Screams" was originally recorded for a bonus feature in the 2003 film Haggard: The Movie, directed by Bam Margera, and was re-recorded for An Answer Can Be Found as a response to fan requests.
[2] Upon completion of the album, Miller assured fans that the band had created "the best rock record of 2005", praising both Ginsburg and Margera for their contributions to the release.
[4] Many of the lyrics on An Answer Can Be Found include references to suicide, in particular renouncing the idea, with the songs "Suddenly Tragic", "The Way You Lived" and "Don't Hold Your Breath" all said to relate to this theme.
[4] "Familiar Realm" is said to be about feelings of "frustration and ennui", with Billboard magazine proposing these themes being felt by band members in relation to CKY's "growing fame".
[16] An Answer Can Be Found was the second album released by CKY to register on a music chart, reaching number 35 on the US Billboard 200 (the band's highest position to date).
Ortenzi of Alternative Press awarded the album a rating of five out of five, claiming that "every riff feels precision cut; every melody holds a surprise; every drumbeat knocks the ball into the pocket; and the synth and classical-guitar accents ... serve the songs perfectly".
[19] AllMusic's Theakston was similarly positive in his four-star review, identifying an evolution in the band's sound from previous albums and praising the "tight" interplay between Miller and Ginsburg.
[16] However, writing for the magazine Exclaim!, Kendall Shields criticised An Answer Can Be Found for its lack of progression from Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild, claiming that the band "barely manage to reiterate, let alone reinvent the suburban skate punk wheel" on the album.
[24] The album's review on Blabbermouth.net complained that An Answer Can Be Found lacks "one absolutely killer tune", and also criticsed Miller's vocal performances, which were described as "limited in range and ... a bit over-produced".
[28] The album received an infamously negative review from Rolling Stone writer Jenny Eliscu, who awarded it one star out of five and described it as "mind-numbing stoner metal, with ginormous power chords, repetitive vocals and overwrought lyrics".
[15] The feud with Rolling Stone later escalated, after Miller allegedly posted Eliscu's home telephone number online and CKY fans subsequently harassed and even threatened the journalist.