 Meat Loaf had announced that Michael Beinhorn was producing the record, but Desmond Child took the helm. The singer reports that Child would say things that made him think he was sitting next to Steinman. Child began recording sessions by playing Slipknot CDs to get the assembled musicians in the mood. In addition to musicians from his touring band, the Neverland Express, several guest players contributed to the album. Meat Loaf says, "I didn 't just want to bring in rock players — I wanted to go to extreme rock people" resulting in an album that "has all the touches of the other two Bats, but it's much more of a rock album." Child says, that one of the most memorable experiences working on the album was working with Brian May, who played on "Bad for Good". The album also featured guest performances by John 5, Steve Vai and John Shanks.
