P.O.D. - Payable on Death

Damn you P.O.D.!!! I was all set to hate this album, or at least have some distain for it. Why? I couldn’t really tell you. I just never cared for the band all that much I guess. Their band of nu-metal/rap/reggae/Christian rock just never really got my attention, and I didn’t have any reason to believe this would be any different. However, it was. Well kind of… It’s not that the album is something extraordinary, because it is not. Payable On Death heavily focuses on a blend of reggae and almost cosmic funk. It is a bit different, but just appealing enough to keep your interest. The most noticeably difference from the P.O.D. you might have seen on TRL is the fact that there doesn’t really exist a radio friendly song on the disc. The album is a bit heavier and serious than their previous effort, and it is for the better. The production is stellar, making the album sound polished and raw at the same time. Tracks like “Find My Way” and “Will You” showcase the bands talent at making a hard song feel soft, and vice versa. Of course the hope-filled lyrics we have come to expect from P.O.D. are very present. “Revolution” and “Change The World” are evidence enough of that. On point of interest is at the position of guitar. Marcos Curiel left under uncertain circumstances and in popped Jason Truby (formerly of Living Sacrifice). It is always a big test to see how a band will handle the loss of a founding member, and in this case the band succeeds without missing a step. The guitar is a bit cleaner one might say, but the change does not have a huge effect on the bands sound. Not something that is going to send P.O.D. to multi-platinum heaven, but a decent enough rock record that will keep you interested for a least a few weeks. After that, who knows…? [www.payableondeath.com]