As early as 2015, frontman Sully Erna spoke of his desire to create a new sound for Godsmack in their next album.

I wanted to stretch my wings even further, to use all of the experiences I've had writing different types of music over the years and apply that to finding a way to introduce a newer, fresher, more mature sound, while still maintaining the power of Godsmack.

[8] The band released the first single, "Bulletproof", on the same date,[9] and as of May 2018, had peaked at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart.

[14][15] The video directed by Noah Berlow and produced by Gautam Singhani completed a two-year process that had the band involving students, who starting the recording of this version of the song after 20 students first accompanied the band in the studio providing vocals on the chorus track.

During the band's visit, Sully personally spoke with and guided the students, sharing insights from his life and explained how music had saved him.

[18][19][20][21] AllMusic generally praised the album, describing the sound as "shedding some of the bitterness, anger, and aggression...without that violent anger and creeping darkness...what's left is a band that remains hungry and driven by hope" and concluded that album showed the band as "reinvigorated, confident, and no less defiant than they were in 1998.