[2] That same year, the producers of Sons of Anarchy asked Manson and Jennings to record a song for the finale to the sixth season of the television series.

[2] Manson went on to portray a character in the seventh season of Sons of Anarchy,[3][4] and recorded two albums with Tyler Bates: The Pale Emperor and Heaven Upside Down.

[7] In 2019, drummer Gil Sharone – who performed on The Pale Emperor and Heaven Upside Down – announced he was leaving the band to pursue other projects.

[9] Shortly after, Manson announced that Bates was no longer involved with the group, and that We Are Chaos would be co-produced by Jennings and feature contributions from his drummer Jamie Douglass.

He said several guitars were used to record We Are Chaos, but that the album predominantly features a black Gibson SG, given as a gift to him on his 20th birthday by his father Waylon Jennings.

[17] "I'm in a mode in life where I wanted to tell stories with this record, and it's sort of like a wax museum of my thoughts, a study of the chamber of horrors in my head.

Manson gave a copy of that box set to Jennings as a gift early in the album's recording, and the pair frequently listened to it together.

[15] Manson said that Jennings's previous production work had the biggest impact on the album's sound, but denied We Are Chaos consisted of country music.

[11] A writer for Inked noted the dichotomy between Jennings and Manson's previous work while complimenting the collaboration between two seemingly disparate artists, saying: "The respective musical backgrounds of each musician are also evident, complementing each other throughout the album, but also pushing themselves toward a new direction."

[18] AllMusic compared the introductory prose to a sermon, before saying the song "quickly rumbles to life with a pounding beat, gurgling bass, and chugging riffage.

[23] Despite being written eighteen months before the album was released,[21] and before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Manson said the lyrics to the title track could be interpreted as referring to the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on mental health.

[21] American Songwriter compared the lyric to those of Kurt Cobain, describing the chorus as being "among the most visceral, primal expressions of inner turmoil" since Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

[24] The acoustic guitars on the song use Nashville tuning, which Jennings said he utilized to "bring that Elvis [Presley] meets Jeff Lynn vibe.

[3] After Manson created the painting, he and Jennings began work on the similarly titled song, with the vocalist saying this was the point when the album "really developed into something".

"[30] AllMusic said the song contained "suitably buzzing riffs, cacophonous percussion, and a feral vocal performance", and that both it and the album's next track, "Perfume", were two of the record's most "classic-sounding moments.

[2] NME described "Solve Coagula" as an arena rock song,[27] with The Independent saying that on the track Manson "offers the surprisingly graceful acceptance of 'I'm not special/ I'm just broken/ And I don't wanna be fixed.

'"[18] Consequence of Sound called the song a gem, elaborating that "the drums, guitars and keyboard of the chorus swell together creating an emotional riptide that pulls the listener along with it.

"[19] Similarly, AllMusic said the "mirrored pair" of "Half-Way & One Step Forward" and "Broken Needle" end up sounding like "unearthed treasures from the glam rock Mechanical Animals era.

"[22] Inked commented that Manson and Jennings's shared love of rock music from the 1970s is exemplified with this track,[14] and Hot Press called it one of "the most exciting songs he's made in years".

[34] A music video for the song was released the same day, which was directed, photographed and edited by Matt Mahurin while in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[3][15] A music video for "Don't Chase the Dead", directed by Travis Shin and featuring actor Norman Reedus and Manson's girlfriend Lindsay Usich, was released on September 24.

[27] Similarly, AllMusic commended the focus on song-craft, saying this was the key to the band's later-career rejuvenation, elaborating: "As the years of shock tactics and theatrics fade into memory, Manson's left with just the music, aging as gracefully as he can with another expertly crafted offering for the altar.

said it continued their creative resurgence, complimenting the "razor-sharp" lyricism and saying the production evoked a "sense of stateliness at times" and a "sleazy rock club stench at others".

[55] Classic Rock noted the absence of intentionally provocative lyrics on We Are Chaos, saying that instead it found Manson reflecting "the terrors that are already out there" before summarizing: "It's good to have the king of modern mischief back to cast a milky eye over the mess we've got ourselves into.

They complimented it for mixing elements from their older work with new influences, and said this shift in tone was comparable to the inclusion of blues rock on The Pale Emperor.

Clash said that despite being disparate musicians, the pair had "created, if not perfected, a rousing ballad of angst for the Millennials", describing it as a concise album without filler and one that "genuinely gets better with each listen.

They went on to summarize that although the vocalist "may not be the pop culture figure he once was, Marilyn Manson is still capable of churning out some of modern rock music's finest work.

[18] Our Culture Mag echoed this sentiment, saying the most entertaining albums in the band's discography were those which "acknowledge the misanthropy and nihilism" were "a guise played up for dramatic effect".

[62] The record went on to appear on numerous best albums of 2020 lists, including ones by Alternative Press,[63] Consequence of Sound,[64] Loudwire,[65] Metal Hammer,[66] Revolver,[67] Sputnikmusic,[68] Ultimate Classic Rock,[69] and Scandinavian publication Nöjesguiden.

[77] As of February 2021, by which point Manson was dropped by Loma Vista following abuse allegations made against him by former girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood, the album had sold 69,000 copies in the United States.