The review from Amazon.com on this album is ignorant. "From Chaos" is a brilliant album, by a band that is over stereotyped in the whole rap/rock genre. 311 is so much more than typical angst rap/rock (linkin park, korn, etc) they have one of the best drummers in rock ( except Danny Carey from Tool of course) and both of their lyricists are simply amazing. Miss Jennifer basically said "Whoa, Amber is the color of your energy" is pathetic, when in fact, this is more like the amazing and groundbreaking lyrics we heard from "Transistor" Nick is talking about aura's here, for those who have no clue what these are, just go read up on them (yahoo works well) and you'll discover the depth and originality behind Nick's and SA's lyrics. Although in my opinion, 311 doesn't tap the fountain as Tool does, 311 is one of the only bands to stay positive in the midst of all this angst-ridden manufactured garbage called "rock." We should be thankful for musicians like Tool, Dredg, 311, Deftones, etc for giving us true auditory beauty. And making music for themselves, not for the record company execs,


Critics!?!   February 25, 2003
Tijs Limburg (Salt Lake City, UT)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

It seems to me critics cannot be trusted very often these days when it comes to music. They'll dissapoint you either way. You'll find a review that raves so loud that you buy the CD only to be extremely dissapointed, or their "critique" fails miserably to understand the music you want to hear. Critics want more and more bands to go mainstream! What gives? It makes you wonder if they ever listen to the radio these days or the mainstream bands they rave about. Are we all to become slaves ot the cloners of music they call "must hear bands"? After all, I thought the syle and meaning of 311 music was to avoid anything and everything to do with mainstream. Can you imagine what would have happened if James Brown, Little Richard, P-Funk, or Nirvana and many others were to have gone mainstream? James Brown would be known for soul pop instead of funk, Little Richardd would have sung gospel, P-Funk would have disco records, and Nirvana would sound like Live or Soundgarden. Why sound like someone else when you can sound like no one else, and invent your own genre! 311 "From Chaos" is the prime example of 311 originality because it isn't mainstream. Are we supposed to hope that in the next 311 album they invite Christina Agulara to do backup vocals or Eminem to substitute the rap lyrics of S. A. Martinez!? What a concert that would be! "From Chaos" gives the opportunity to throw away the popular radio garbage of today and listen to truly funky bass of P. Nut and original music of 311. It will give "clarity" to your music listening from the "chaos" that is the music industry today. After all, "From chaos comes clarity..." Let the critics, radio stations, and MTV dull your mind with their reccomended "Grammy Award Winning" crap of today, or listen to the more or less underground blues, punk , jazz, reggae style of 311 and others in the category like Sublime, and even Dave Matthews. You'll love the truly rigid sound of "Sick Tight"; "I Told Myself"; and "Hostile Apostle" with amazing funk bass and guitar, and the smoother reggae blues style of "Champagne" and "Amber". Dont Be fooled by the critics, listen to the real fans, check out the website (311.com), and as always, listen for yourself. You wont be giving this CD away, or any other 311 CD for that matter!


An enjoyable step backwards   June 21, 2001
Gnarles
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

It took them long enough, but after 6 years, 311 have finally released a true follow-up to their self-titled commercial breakthrough, and it cranks like it's '95 all over again. Like all their albums, it's hit and miss all the way, but the ratio of hits to misses leans greatly more toward the former this time, resulting in some of their strongest work in years.

I've always been a fan of 311's, especially after seeing them live several times, but their last two albums cooled my interest a little. "Soundsystem", released two years ago, had a handful of amazing tracks but was overproduced and a little draggy. "Transistor", meanwhile, remains this band's only true dud -- it's so agonizingly overlong and miscalculated that it's nearly impossible to listen to all the way through, and it's a shame because there's a killer EP buried in there somewhere. I wondered if 311 were ever going to get their groove back.

They have. "From Chaos" is a return to form in every way -- heavy without being overbearing, fast without being tuneless, experimental without being overindulgent. A large amount of credit for this has to go to the legendary Ron Saint Germain, who produced the self-titled album and works similar magic here. But that wouldn't mean much if the band didn't bring the noise, and they deliver. Fans everwhere will flash a huge grin at the moment they hear "Sick Tight", which wraps huge riffing around killer vocal melodies from Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez, resulting in one of their best songs since "Down". Several great songs follow, like "I Told Myself" (which explodes with melody), "Amber", and "Hostile Apostle". The experimentation from the last two albums has been toned down, but it's still present; "Uncalm", for instance, is an interesting stab at dancehall. The whole thing clocks in at a tight, fierce 40 minutes with little to no filler. Nice.

There's a few things that kept me from a five star rating, though. For one, 311 are starting to sound too much like themselves -- some of the riffs are recycled from older albums, as are some lyrics, and you have to wonder how long they can keep doing this before it gets ridiculous. The album also doesn't have quite as powerful a sonic punch as the last two, and it sounds a little flat at times. And lastly, while Hexum and Martinez are great singers, why do they keep coating their voices in layers and layers of reverb? It's getting a tad old. You guys can sing, so just sing!

But these are small complaints. Bottom line: 311 are back, and they want you to come along. This thing is tailor-made for fans who got on board from the beginning, with "Music" and "Grassroots", which will probably always be their best work. They've had to sit back and watch other bands profit from the sound they revolutionized for years, and they've taken that anger and infused it into their music, giving it back the precious rawness and ferocity sadly missing from the last two records. Support 311, because at this point in their career, they're doing what they do mostly because of you, the fans. Give them a reason to keep on doing it.


A mix of old school 311 with a new touch is a great thing...   July 11, 2001
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I have been a 311 fan ever since "Down" came out as a single, but I also took the chance to try out their older stuff like Grassroots and Music and I love 311 ever since. I was hesitant to give "From Chaos" a shot due to the single "You Wouldn't Believe" because I thought that was just about the best the album could get...but I was glad I was wrong. There's a mix in this album, from hard core old school 311 rock (Sick Tight) to chilled back rock (Uncalm) to beautiful laid back melodies (Amber).

My favorite song on this album is "Uncalm", with great lyrics and an unique tune. Classic 311 originality. I love the ENTIRE album, not just a couple songs out of the 12. It's pretty amazing how 311 has come back from their previous 2 albums (Transistor, Soundsystem), in which I thought were not as great as their old albums. BUY IT and get ready for a "HEADRUSH!"

Don't forget to download 311's extra track "We Do It Like This" from the official 311 site, it's also a great song expressing how they progressed in their music and their originality.