In early 1994, Megadeth hired producer Max Norman to help make another album. Because three of the band's members lived in Arizona, Megadeth started working on the album at Phase Four Studios, a music studio in Phoenix. After the band worked on the album for a few days, they had problems with the studio's equipment. The band looked for another place to record. Mustaine wanted to record the album in Arizona, but the band could not find anywhere else in the state to do it. The band decided to build a studio in a warehouse, naming it "Fat Planet in Hangar 18". They started recording "Youthanasia" in this studio. The songs on "Youthanasia" had a slower tempo than Megadeth's other songs. The band focused on making music that more people liked, and could easily be played on the radio.