Background, music, and release
Although the band had maintained a record of at least one release per year since their debut, Ignorance , [6] this was their first full-length album for three years and also the first to show a musical progression from the rougher sounding, punk-inspired thrash metal in their earlier material. [3] [7] The album features slower tracks in favor of a more diverse tempo and tone [7] and makes less use of techniques like double bass pedals and shredding, [8] while still retaining elements of punk and hardcore punk. [8] The band had also become more experienced; Greg Hall's drumming improved and is particularly praised on the album, [8] [9] and the band's performance as a group had improved significantly; writer Damien Chaney described it as "a group in full possession of its means (...) without any real individuality that would stifle the others." [8] Phil Rind's vocal performance progressed with more confidence, clarity, and use of vocal range. [8] [9] The album has been described as having a dark and somber tone because its sociopolitical lyrics. [3] [7] Similar to previous releases, the lyrics and theme of the album focused heavily on political and social issues but progressed towards a personal direction. [8] In the album's liner notes, Phil Rind explains the band's change in musical direction:
"Lyrically I think it is a little more personal than either Ignorance or Surf Nicaragua . Although there are some political songs/overtones, we've tried to deal more with people than political systems. (...) Musically we've tried to expand our horizons without forgetting our roots. Some people will appreciate the changes. Others, let's just say, they'd be satisfied with 'Ignorance II'." [2]
The band worked with producer Bill Metoyer, who previously worked with Flotsam and Jetsam, DRI, and Slayer. [8] [10] The album title was originally named "Crimes Against Humanity" after the fourth track but was changed to "The American Way". [7]
The title track, "The American Way", expresses issues with American society. [9] The fourth track, "Crimes Against Humanity", focuses on pollution and environmental destruction. "State of Emergency" is an anti-apartheid song. "Who's To Blame" is about blaming teenage suicide on rock music. [3] [7] The closing track, "31 Flavors", is a funk rock song, with lyrical themes of open-mindedness and musical variety; [7] [9] encouraging fans of metal to expand their musical scope, [3] with lyrics such as "there's so much music for you to choose / So don't just be a metal dude." [4] The song was chosen as the promotional song for radio play, despite being "unrepresentative" of the rest of the album. [11]
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