"[5] Ghost finally began recording the album in October 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee, with producer Nick Raskulinecz.

"[10] In 2015, a Nameless Ghoul said they were not 100% satisfied with the album's final production, citing time restraints forcing them to accept last minute mixing and mastering.

"[14] Tobias Forge claimed that "Year Zero" and "Zenith" are the only two Ghost songs that he was not the main author of, the two instead being the ideas of guitarist Martin Persner.

It was made in collaboration with the band and drawn by Polish artist Zbigniew Bielak and inspired by the album's lyrics and themes.

[18] A source close to the band told Spin that Ghost was turned down by four US CD manufacturers because of artwork of the album's deluxe edition, which is a 16th-century illustration of an orgy.

[18] The magazine said it was the depiction of Jesus Christ crucified upside down that caused the controversy instead of the Gustave Doré-inspired work's sexual content.

[17][18] However, a Nameless Ghoul said it was indeed because of the sexual content and said it was ironic that "just because we had naked women as well as female body parts shown and exposed, that caused the problem.

[20] "Secular Haze" was the album's first single, given as a free digital download to fans signing up to the band's mailing list from December 15, 2012.

[9] The single's B-side was the cover of ABBA's "I'm a Marionette", which features Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters on drums as well as production.

[5][23] " ... we were at a festival in Europe and Foo Fighters was playing, and we knew that Dave was a fan, and [when we talked to him] after a few handshakes and a few laughs, we were like 'Okay, so you liked the band?

[24] On March 12, 2013, Ghost began providing fans with a free streaming of "Year Zero" if they promoted the band on Facebook, by endorsing its frontman to be elected the next Pope of the Catholic Church.

[30] While including the songs "La Mantra Mori" and "I'm a Marionette" from the deluxe edition, the Japanese version of the album also features a cover of Depeche Mode's "Waiting for the Night".

It was directed by Rob Semmer, filmed at Ghost's shows at the El Rey Theatre and Webster Hall, and opens with footage of fans praising the band in a mock-confessional.

[33] James Christopher Monger of AllMusic described the psychedelic and progressive departures from the band's debut as "weirdly effective" and called the album "a hell of a lot of fun.

"[34] The Village Voice and Entertainment Weekly named Infestissumam the best metal album of 2013,[43][44] while Loudwire ranked it second on their list.

[50] In a less positive review, Jon Hadusek of Consequence of Sound described the album as "pretty tame" and said that "for a band whose songs rely on falsetto and choruses, the absence of memorable melodies on Infestissumam is an eternal sin.

"[35] In Decibel Magazine, Jeff Treppel wrote that Ghost seem to be consciously avoiding a sophomore slump by "throwing together the most eclectic set of songs they could conjure from the pit", and that this "wildly inconsistent ride ... bodes well for the band's longevity.

[56] Infestissumam's first track, which shares its name with the album itself, starts with a Gregorian chant and then morphs into a polymorphic melody, it is then followed by an electric guitar riff and drums before transitioning to the next song.

[57] The fourth track, Jigolo Har Megiddo ("Gigolo of Meggido"), embodies the two central themes of the album: sexual desire and the Antichrist.

Gigolo means male prostitute, and Har Migido is the Hebrew name for the Biblical location where the final battle against Satan would occur.

According to Academic Jarell Paulissen, the main theme of the track is brought up in the second verse:[57] I am the son of one below, the progeny of beast of woe And I am the son who comes into the daughters of men Destroying all and make them want it again In his words, this verse conveys the idea that the Antichrist would be attempting to destroy the world by tempting people to give in to their carnal passions.

This verse also references the biblical giants who were born from the "sons of God" who "came in unto the daughters of men", as written in the book of Genesis.

[57] Year Zero is the sixth track of the album, it starts with a Gregorian chanting of names taken from the Old Testament which became, ages later, associated with Satan.