"I Am the Law" is a tribute to comic book hero Judge Dredd. The song's lyrics reference numerous characters, settings, and story elements from Dredd's fictional universe.
Producer and engineer Eddie Kramer explained how he accepted the work with Anthrax: "Their manager, Johnny Z, said to me, ‘I’ve got this band, Anthrax. They like the sounds you get – would you like to work with them?’ That's what started it. We went to Florida and took over a small studio for about a month."