 In 1985, Combat Records gave the band $ 8,000 to record and produce its debut album. After spending $ 4,000 of the budget on drugs, alcohol, and food, the band fired the original producer and finished the recording themselves. Despite its low fidelity sound, Killing Is My Business ... and Business Is Good! was relatively successful in underground metal circles on its release that summer and attracted major-label interest. Music writer Joel McIver praised its "blistering technicality" and stated that the album "raised the bar for the whole thrash metal scene, with guitarists forced to perform even more accurately and powerfully". The front cover marked the debut of band mascot Vic Rattlehead, who regularly appeared on subsequent album artwork.
