The production of Mezzanine was a stressful process, with tensions arising within the group. The album was meant to be released in December 1997, but was delayed by four months, with Del Naja spending most of the time in the studio “making tracks, tearing them apart, f***ing them up, panicking, then starting again.”

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Massive Attack
The Mezzanine Massive Attack album received significant critical acclaim, who praised the collective’s new sound. Rolling Stone’s Barney Hoskyns, although praising the album, pointed to its flaws: “Sometimes rhythm and texture are explored at the expense of memorable tunes, and the absence of the bizarre Tricky only highlights the flat, monotonous rapping of the group’s 3-D.” Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a two-star honorable mention rating and selected “Risingson” and “Man Next Door” as highlights