The album was recorded in 1980 (after the 1977 and 1979 demos) and released later that year through Happy Face Records, a label owned by the producer Muff Murfin of The Old Smithy studio of Worcester, due to lack of interest from major labels and the band feeling that they needed to get the ball rolling as other bands from the same era, such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, were already becoming big names.

[citation needed] So, while other new wave of British heavy metal bands were signed to major labels and were headlining their own tours, Diamond Head were growing increasingly impatient and decided that they would release their material through their own label, Happy Face Records.

The reason for this was that the band's new manager, Reg Fellows, owned a cardboard factory and could produce blank sleeves at low cost.

They did not attempt to find the master tapes or create a professional transfer from the original vinyl version and used a remix instead (made in 1986).

Additionally, the track "It's Electric" has a major mastering error: the intro of the song is missing and it skips in shortly before the vocals start.

The 2011 Deluxe Edition, remastered by Andy Pearce, includes the original album sourced from the rediscovered master tape.

[8] In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Lightning to the Nations 42nd on their list of "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time".

[9] All tracks are written by Sean Harris and Brian TatlerLightning to the Nations 2020 is a re-recorded version of the original album, featuring a new line-up with vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen.