The album has been criticized for having compromised sound quality, due to an excessively compressed dynamic range, leading to audible distortion. Sean Michaels of The Guardian explains that this is "a result of the 'loudness war'—an ongoing industry effort to make recordings as loud as possible". A Rolling Stone article states that Rubin was "overseeing mixes in Los Angeles while the band is in Europe, headlining shows" and only communicated with him by conference calls.
