Lyrically and vocally, Leeway were firmly rooted in the hardcore punk genre as could also be seen by the company they chose to keep – Corrosion of Conformity, Bad Brains, Circle Jerks, Sick of It All and Prong to name but a few. Musically, however, it was most definitely metal and a compromise label of thrash/crossover was achieved but still left a few questions unanswered. In truth, many fans of both genres had their likes and dislikes – even between songs.
Guitarist and songwriter, A.J. Novello, had this to say on the dichotomy caused by this album:
(the album) came out and surprised everyone because it was totally metallic sounding... (it) re-wrote the book on New York hardcore. Leeway just about killed{the} "hardcore"sound because we used heavy guitar sounds and spent time on actual tones and textures instead of throwing things together haphazardly." [3]
Most of the songs are played at thrash metal pace but at hardcore punk-style track lengths. The band even had time to experiment with rap and funk on "Catholic High School".
Guitarist Michael Gibbons spoke about the album's signature guitar sound:
You really can't beat a Marshall JCM800 for a guitar amplifier. It's just that simple and truthful. We experimented with lots of tones, re-positioning the cabinets, mic placements, etc. Having Tom Soares as the album's engineer, him knowing his studio so well, was also a huge help. In terms of the guitars, I used a Gibson Les Paul Custom with a Seymour Duncan custom pickup, and A.J. used his Gibson SG.[4]
