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.

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.

[13]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.

[14][15] 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.

[18][19][20] Dogwood and Living Sacrifice would replace Linkin Park and Hed PE as special guests later during the tour.

On August 4, 2008, a reissue of The Fundamental Elements of Southtown was released exclusively on CD in Europe and South Africa, containing both it and Satellite (2001), the band's fourth studio album.

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.

[27] 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.

"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.

announced on their official YouTube channel a series of live stream concerts called "Satellite Over Southtown".

'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.

[40] 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".

[citation needed] It contains a new version of the song "Draw the Line" (from the 1994 album Snuff the Punk) and a demo recording of "Lie Down" (on The Fundamental Elements of Southtown).