With politically themed, revolutionary lyrical content, the album artwork was notable for its graphic photograph of Vietnamese monk Thích Quảng Đức performing self-immolation in June 1963.

The album contains politically-charged lyrical content and stylistically blends funk and heavy metal musical styles, similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

[8] The cover features a crop of Malcolm Browne's famous photograph of the self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, in Saigon in 1963.

Activists such as Provisional IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands and Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton are listed in the "Thanks For Inspiration" section.

In a contemporary review, NME wrote that "what makes RATM more than just another bunch of prodigiously capable genre-benders is their total lack of pretension or contrivance ... the results burn with an undeniable conviction.

[28] The band announced on October 9, 2012, via their Facebook page that they would be releasing a special 20th anniversary box set to commemorate the group's debut album.

The box set contains never-before-released concert material, including the band's 2010 Live at Finsbury Park show and footage from early in their career, as well as a digitally remastered version of the album, B-sides and the original demo tape (on disc for the first time).