Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released their 14th studio album "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" in 2008 and received a high level of critical acclaim. Inspired by the biblical story of the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany by Jesus Christ, the album continued the punk and garage rock-inspired arrangements that were explored on the debut Grinderman album, resulting in what "NME" termed a "gothic psycho-sexual apocalypse". The group then embarked on a North American and European tour is support of the album, with a seven-piece lineup that did not include Johnston, who had left the group after the album's completion.