P.O.D.

    P.O.D.

    San Diego, California27 reviews across 8 releases

    alternative metalhardcorenu metalrapcore
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    P.O.D. is a San Diego band formed in 1992, rooted in the city's Southtown neighborhood and in a Christian hardcore setting. Its early sound joined hip-hop phrasing to hard-edged guitar riffs, then broke into beat-driven bridges before returning to the guitars. The 1993 debut Payable On Death was rough in production but direct in its religious language; Brown (1996) widened the palette with slower passages alongside reggae and Latin-jazz touches. A defining subject was personal testimony: "Full Color" addressed Sonny Sandoval's mother's death from leukemia and his conversion to Christianity. By The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (1999), the band had a cleaner, heavier rapcore sound, with more polished drums, industrial accents, reggae, and power-rock choruses. The lyrics remained explicitly Christian while the music became more accessible to mainstream rock audiences.

    In February 2003, guitarist Marcos Curiel left P.O.D. amid disputed accounts of the split, and former Living Sacrifice guitarist Jason Truby took his place. The change produced a modest move from rapcore toward power rock with singing and rap vocals on the 2003 Payable on Death, though one contemporary review found much of the record blurred together. P.O.D. left Atlantic Records in 2006. On December 30 of the same year, Truby departed and Curiel rejoined; the returning guitarist was back onstage the next day. The group then signed with INO Records and continued recording, issuing Veritas through Mascot Records in 2024. P.O.D. remains active with Sonny Sandoval, Wuv Bernardo, Traa Daniels, and Marcos Curiel.

    8 releases reviewed