[5] The Lords of the New Church were formed in 1981 by singer Stiv Bators and guitarist Brian James, who had been founding members of Cleveland's Dead Boys and London's the Damned, respectively.

"[9] "Russian Roulette", which took lyrical inspiration from the film Apocalypse Now,[1] had been introduced to the Lords during their first rehearsals with the song's writers, bassist Tony James and drummer Terry Chimes.

[14] Musically, the album is a mix of punk, glam, garage rock and goth,[15][16] described by New Noise Magazine as a "seedy concoction of spidery guitars, sleazy bass lines, jungle drums and gothic keyboards.

He concluded that the album "is very much an artifact of the Reagan era and somewhat dated in its approach, but Bators' core message of personal freedom, and the fervor and sincerity with which he delivered it, have retained their resonance across the years.

"[18] Michael Toland of Blurt magazine gave the album 4 stars out of 5, describing it as a "mélange of different sounds" with every song wrapped in "catchy licks, memorable choruses and a B-movie atmosphere."

Toland felt that the album's "shiny but aggressive blend of garage rock, gothic pop and glam punk" should sound dated, but that the band’s "distinctive personality and strong songwriting" distinguishes them from "their more timebound peers."