After finishing "Youthanasia"'s long world tour, Megadeth took a break for most of 1996. It was the second time they did not play at any concerts for an entire year. During the break, Mustaine started playing with MD.45, a different band he made with singer Lee Ving. The two hired Jimmy DeGrasso, a drummer who played with Alice Cooper during the 1995 Monsters of Rock festival. Marty Friedman built a recording studio in his house in Phoenix, Arizona. He released an album in April 1996.