Musically, the album leans toward funk metal, features extensive use of samples and is darker in tone than previous Bootsy Collins albums. The album also has a strong science fiction theme. The album was released as part of Bill Laswell's Black Arc Series. Lord of the Harvest is dedicated to the memory of Parliament-Funkadelic lead guitarist Eddie Hazel who died some months earlier in December 1992.
The album was released by the Polystar label in Japan and by Rykodisc in the United States. A remastered version of Lord of the Harvest was reissued in 2003 by Laswell's Innerhythmic label. Some early copies of the album have the first two tracks combined as one.[2]