features music performed at fast tempos with technical ability; lyrically, frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine addresses a variety of topics, including nuclear holocaust and freedom of speech.

[3] Samuelson was immediately replaced by his drum technician, Chuck Behler[4] (although Slayer's Dave Lombardo considered joining).

[10] Mustaine decided that he had his limits when he, having just awakened and made coffee, noticed Lani outside in his underwear feeding an apple to a deer.

[11] Mustaine was able to recruit Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones to perform guitar parts on "Anarchy in the U.K."[12] According to music critic J. D. Considine of Spin, So Far, So Good...

[14] Mike Stagno of Sputnikmusic observed that the album offers the classic "take no prisoners" style which is commonly associated with Megadeth; however, he noted that the sound does not differ much from the other underground metal bands from that period.

[15] Jim Farber of Rolling Stone called Mustaine's vocals "bloodthirsty" and praised the musicianship for keeping rhythmic pace even at the "most anarchic moments".

[16] Los Angeles Times journalist Dennis Hunt noted that the music was filled with extensive and "torrid" instrumentals and described Mustaine's singing as a combination of extreme shrieking and screaming.

[17] Despite the positive overview, "Anarchy in the U.K." received some negative criticism, partially because it was perceived to lack the rebelliousness of the original version.

[18] The lyrical themes on the album explore a variety of subjects, from nuclear holocaust ("Set the World Afire") to revisionism and censorship ("Hook in Mouth").

[19] Unlike traditional topics related to heavy metal music, the song "In My Darkest Hour" contains emotional lyrics which deal with loneliness and isolation.

[20] Dave Mustaine revealed that he tried to write about subject matters that were in touch with reality, including social issues and taboo topics.

[27] "Mary Jane" tells a story about a young witch buried alive by her father near the Loon Lake cemetery in Minnesota.

[31] "Liar" is a diss song directed at past member Chris Poland, who Mustaine claimed was stealing guitars and selling them for heroin money.

In a contemporary review, Holger Stratmann from Rock Hard hailed the album as "the new masterpiece of Megadeth" and asserted that the band had created a great follow-up to their highly acclaimed Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?

[33] Jim Farber of Rolling Stone also gave the album a favorable review, saying it propelled the group "right at the top of the thrash-rock heap".

[13] In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau reacted toward the album with tepid positivity, and wrote that Megadeth garnered "its modest portions of profit and respect" with their latest studio release.

[37] Bassist David Ellefson said that previous members Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland were tired of constantly being on the road and their departure was inevitable.

[44][45] Dave Mustaine explained that the band toured quite often because they were not receiving much media exposure: "We do a lot of shows and sell records by word-of-mouth".