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From Chaos is the sixth studio album by 311, released on June 19, 2001. In 2000, before this album was recorded and released they left Capricorn Records and switched to Volcano Records as their label in between December 2000 - March 2001. Singles from this album include "You Wouldn't Believe", "Amber", and "I'll Be Here Awhile". From Chaos is the first album to ever be recorded in 311's current recording studio The Hive in North Hollywood, California. The album was certified Gold, having sold over 500,000 copies. From Chaos astonishes and impresses with considerable energy and focus, proving itself as the album 311 has always been capable of making. With Tim Mahoney's razor-edged riffing and Nick Hexum and Martinez's super-charged vocals, it rocks harder and rides smoother than each preceding effort. Amidst their signature hip-hop/heavy rock/reggae hybrid, 311 additionally blends surf guitar over jungle beats, merges punk guitar with dancehall, and introduces ska, Hexum's autobiographical "I'll Be Here Awhile," to their sonic repertoire. Tracks such as the carpe diem-inspired "Wake Your Mind Up" and the boastful "Sick Tight" prove the quintet hasn't forsaken their old-school formula, while the amorous "Amber," perhaps their most charming composition, exhibits a melodic versatility and musical ambition unlike many of their pigeonholed contemporaries. Under the technical lead of veteran producer and engineer Ron Saint Germain, From Chaos effectively "captures the energy of the live shows," states P-Nut, and despite the band's growing musical complexity, each selection remains a perfect candidate for the well-traveled road ahead. Chad Sexton affirms "it's our best-performed record," and despite the album's semi-ironic title, he couldn't be more right. Moreover, this enhanced CD provides entertaining eye candy, which offers bandmember interviews, studio photos, and trailers from both Enlarged to Show Detail videos. Whether employing the computer or stereo for amusement, From Chaos is the sonic cornerstone for remarkably original rap-metal.
"We know that on Soundsystem and Transistor we made good albums, but they were so experimental that they left some people looking elsewhere," Nick Hexum said. "This album is faster and harder and simpler, and more people like that, but we had to experiment [on a few tracks] to get that out of our system." Hexum said the group originally wanted to give its sixth album the hard-rock feel found on its early LPs Grassroots and Music, making a "hard, fast, jump-up-and-down, go-crazy album." "And then halfway through we realized that there are so many bands doing that and that the one thing that we can do [differently] is pull off harmonies and more beautiful moments and make a love song or something like that," he said. "We wanted to show both sides, so our focus changed to 'let's make the pretty stuff more beautiful and trippy and ambient, and the lyrics that are really coming from the heart.' But then also [we have the] balls-to-the-wall [stuff] on the other end, trying to take both to new extremes."
