# The Fundamental Elements of Southtown

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Cross Rhythms | |
| HM | |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | |
| Q | |
| The Whipping Post | |
The Fundamental Elements of Southtown is the third studio album and major label debut of American Christian nu metal band P.O.D., released through Atlantic Records on August 24, 1999. It went on to become the band's first platinum album, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart in April 2000. It was the 143rd best-selling album of 2000 in the United States. "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" became the album's singles in 2000, both of which were accompanied by music videos. The album also includes a cover of U2's 1987 single "Bullet the Blue Sky".

## Recording and production

In 1998, P.O.D. signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. The band stayed with the label for eight years before announcing that they would be splitting from Atlantic Records in August 2006. Prior to signing with Atlantic Records, P.O.D. released their material through Rescue Records, the most notable of which included Snuff the Punk (1994), the band's first studio album, and Brown (1996), their second studio album. The other releases from P.O.D. on Rescue Records include the band's 1993 demo and a live album, Payable on Death Live, in 1997. The band formed in 1992.
The same year the band was signed to Atlantic Records, P.O.D.'s first extended play, The Warriors EP, was released on Tooth & Nail Records. Of the included seven songs on the EP, only "Southtown" would be re-recorded for P.O.D.'s third studio album. Only 30,000 units of The Warriors EP were produced. In 1999, P.O.D.'s Demo EP by Atlantic Records contained demos of material that would later be re-recorded for The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, which included "Southtown" and "Lie Down," as well as early versions of the songs "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" and "Image" titled "Cutz" and "Breathe," respectively.
The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was recorded at three studios in California. The album was mixed at Image Recordings in Los Angeles, California and The Gallery in Sherman Oaks. According to bassist Traa Daniels during an interview in February 2000, the album was recorded in "about three months".
In December 2012, vocalist Sonny Sandoval said the following about working with producer Howard Benson and being signed to a major record label:
   He allowed us not only to be ourselves but at the same time we were so stoked to have somebody that actually cared about our music. He gave us this advice and we took it and obviously you're in a real studio and have real instruments. I remember Atlantic Records gave us a budget and we all went out and bought guitars and cabinets just because all our stuff was ghetto. This was big for us.

## Music videos

The album's two singles, "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)," received music videos that were produced by Angela Jones and directed by Marcos Siega; both music videos would later be included on P.O.D.'s home video release Still Payin' Dues, released on November 12, 2002.

## Album cover artwork

When The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was sold in Christian stores, a censored version of the artwork was used for the album's front cover. Retailers complained about the depiction of a cigar and argued that the artwork featured "pagan" imagery according to a Deseret News article from September 2002.

## Touring and promotion

In 2000, P.O.D. was a special guest band on Korn's European tour. The band also performed at Ozzfest 2000. Later that year, P.O.D. embarked on the "Kings of The Game" tour with special guests Hed PE, Linkin Park, and Project 86. The tour began at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 23, 2000, and ended at Cox Arena in San Diego, California on December 8, 2000; Dogwood and Living Sacrifice would replace Linkin Park and Hed PE as special guests at concerts from November 30 onwards.
To promote The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, a cassette tape with the songs "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" was released by Atlantic Records in 1999. "Set Your Eyes to Zion" was included on The Mark: A Soundtrack and WOW Hits 2001 in 2000.

## Reception

The Fundamental Elements of Southtown received positive reviews from critics. Cross Rhythms gave the album a perfect score, describing it as "a fine exponent of rap-core at it's [sic] finest, and the best album by P.O.D. thus far." In June 2000, Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post said the album "drops Bob Marley refrains and makes common cause with U2 by covering that band's "Bullet the Blue Sky." Mostly, though, P.O.D. raps and rocks in a vigorous but commonplace manner."
The album was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) on March 29, 2000, and later certified platinum on November 6, 2000.

## 2008 reissue

On August 4, 2008, a reissue of The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was released exclusively on CD, containing both it and Satellite (2001), the band's fourth studio album. The album artwork on the reissue is uncensored and the song "Whatever It Takes" is included as a bonus track.

## Legacy

In an article by Cross Rhythms from February 2001, drummer Wuv Bernardo, following the success of The Fundamental Elements of Southtown and the impact it had on the band, said "We've been full time for six years and now it's stepped up to a different level." Vocalist Sonny Sandoval said P.O.D. had been "completely blown away by the success of the album" according to an interview in July 2021.
In July 2007, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was included on the Best Alternative Metal Albums of All Time list by Q Magazine at #50.
In May 2011, album producer Howard Benson described The Fundamental Elements of Southtown as "one of the very first rock records made in Pro Tools that became huge. And then my career was off and running."
In October 2011, a piece by Jesus Freak Hideout said P.O.D. "achieved their initial mainstream success" because of the album.
In September 2017, Loudwire ranked The Fundamental Elements of Southtown as the second best P.O.D. album, saying, "The band’s hunger is infectious on the album" and the "Southtown" single "still sounds impactful and exciting." In January 2019, Loudwire's "15 Best Hard Rock Albums of 1999" included the album at #14, saying, "Atlantic picked up one of the brightest young bands of the time as they were starting work on their third full-length album." In January 2025, the publication ranked The Fundamental Elements of Southtown at #21 on their list of "The Top 50 Nu-Metal Albums of All Time (Ranked)", saying it "amplified the "coolness" factor and brought more reggae stylings to the band's already successful sound" and the songs "read as fully realized and intentioned."
In December 2017, "Set Your Eyes to Zion" and "Southtown" were ranked at #9 and #5, respectively, on "The 10 best P.O.D. songs" list by Louder Sound.
In March 2018, Heaven's Metal Magazine ranked The Fundamental Elements of Southtown at #69 on their "Top 100 Christian Metal Albums of all Time" list, saying, "This breakthrough release was huge."
In August 2018, New Release Today called the album "a pivotal moment for P.O.D." and "simultaneously sludgy and tight in aesthetic from start to finish."
In October 2020, Andrew Voigt of HM Magazine said he listened to the album "religiously", saying P.O.D. "offered heaviness, passion, and hope in an innovative way that other bands of that era hadn’t figured out and would later frequently try to imitate."
On April 23, 2021, P.O.D. announced on their official YouTube channel a series of livestream concerts called "Satellite Over Southtown". During the series of shows, P.O.D. performed The Fundamental Elements of Southtown live in its entirety on May 27, 2021.
In August 2024, David Allen, the designer of P.O.D.'s logo, wrote about The Fundamental Elements of Southtown on Instagram, saying the band "supported me and got me hired by Atlantic as a freelance designer. I got to go on the road and contribute some fun images to this album".
During a September 2024 interview with Sonny Sandoval, Riff Magazine said about The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, "The record spawned a pair of hits and its faith-based message got the attention of the gospel music industry".

## Track listing

    $^a$ Demo recording appears on The Warriors EP (1998)
    $^b$ Demo recording appears on Demo EP (1999)
    $^c$ Demo recording appears on Limited Edition Bonus CD (1999)
    $^d$ Song appears on Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years compilation (2006)
    $^e$ Acoustic version appears on SoCal Sessions (2014)

## Awards
### 1999 San Diego Music Awards

* Best Hard Rock Artist – P.O.D. (Won)

### 2000 Billboard Video Music Awards

* Best New Artist Clip, Modern Rock – "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" (Nominated)

### 2000 GMA Dove Awards

* Hard Music Album – The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (Nominated)
* Hard Music Recorded Song – "Southtown" (Nominated)

### 2000 San Diego Music Awards

* Album of the Year – The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (Won)
* Best Hard Rock Artist – P.O.D. (Won)
* Song of the Year – "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" (Won)

### 2001 GMA Dove Awards

* Artist of the Year – P.O.D. (Nominated)
* Group of the Year – P.O.D. (Nominated)
* Modern Rock/Alternative Recorded Song – "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" (Nominated)
* Rock Recorded Song – "Set Your Eyes to Zion" (Nominated)
* Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" (Won)

## Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
P.O.D.
* Sonny Sandoval – vocals
* Marcos Curiel – lead guitar
* Traa Daniels – bass guitar
* Wuv Bernardo – drums
Additional musicians
* Howard Benson – keyboards
* Lisa Papineau – background vocals (5, 9)
* Santos – percussion
* Darren "DJ Circa" Tanzella – turntables
Production
* Howard Benson – producer, mixing
* Robert Green Brooks – engineer, mixing
* Chris Lord-Alge – mixing (2, 3, 5, 7, 9)
* Gavin Lurssen – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
* Marc Moncrief, Matt Silva, Ernie Vigil – assistant engineers
Additional personnel
* David Nathan Allen – band logo
* Eric Altenburger – band photo retouching
* Chapman Baehler – band photos
* Jean Bastarache – paintings
* John Rubeli – A&R
* P.O.D. – art direction

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Appearances

* A remixed version of "Freestyle" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Ready to Rumble in 2000.
* "Lie Down" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 in 2000.
* "Southtown" was featured in the trailer for the film Little Nicky in 2000, though the song was not included on the soundtrack album.
* "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)" was featured in the PlayStation version of the video game MTV Sports: T.J. Lavin's Ultimate BMX in 2001.

## Limited Edition Bonus CD

The Limited Edition Bonus CD is an EP released on Atlantic Records in 1999. It was given away for free with the purchase of The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. The extended play contains six songs, which include "Warriors Come Out to Play...," a new recording of "Draw the Line" (from Snuff the Punk), "It's About Time," a demo version of The Fundamental Elements of Southtown track "Lie Down," the instrumental "Estrella," and a track titled "Messages for Your Answering Machine." Because of its limited release, the Limited Edition Bonus CD is now considered a collector's item.