the release consists entirely of new material and replaces the synth-pop style of the band's 1989 debut album "pretty hate machine" with a considerably heavier sound that would act as a precursor to their second album "the downward spiral" (1994). its lyrical themes are in line with those of their succeeding work. the record was promoted with music videos for five of the eight songs, which were censored due to their violent content, as well as a short film of the same name, which was never officially released, but was later leaked as a bootleg.