[2] It was written and recorded following the full-time return of founding guitarist Peter Koppes, who had left the band in 1992 after the Priest=Aura tour.

Album titles originally proposed by singer Steve Kilbey included Bastard Universe and Hologram of Allah, but these were rejected as too inflammatory.

The bonus disc, Bastard Universe, included with the first pressings,[2] contained a seemingly continuous 79 minute instrumental improvisation, divided into six "stages".

The original Australian cover design, featuring a green, full-frame, pseudo-holographic image of a primitive mask, was heavily modified for the U.S. and U.K. releases.

These feature a plain reddish-brown image of the mask, originally used inside the Australian booklet, placed to the right (U.S.) or left (U.K.) of a vertical black bar containing the band's name in large dark blue type.