P.O.D.

P.O.D., a San Diego quartet, fuse punk, metal, reggae, and rap into a groove-driven style while channeling heart, soul, and an upbeat spirit drawn from their deep Christian convictions. The group, whose name stands for Payable on Death, surfaced in the early 1990s and ascended within the expanding nu-metal landscape through their third album and first major-label effort, 1999’s The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. That release yielded the charting singles “Southtown” and “Rock the Party (Off the Hook),” both of which received extensive MTV airplay and propelled the album to platinum certification. Their next project, 2001’s Satellite, achieved multi-platinum status and climbed still higher on the charts behind the lasting, Grammy-nominated singles “Alive” and “Youth of the Nation.” Later efforts including 2003’s Payable on Death, 2006’s Testify, 2008’s When Angels and Serpents Dance, and 2012’s Murdered Love adopted a more mature tone yet continued to dominate the U.S. Christian charts. The 2015 album The Awakening marked their initial venture into concept-album territory, while 2018’s Circles revisited an earlier, classic approach. Following anniversary celebrations for Satellite and When Angels and Serpents Dance, P.O.D. issued “Drop” as the opening track from their 2024 album Veritas.

Originating in the multicultural, working-class San Diego district of San Ysidro, also called Southtown, the band began as a covers act under the names Eschatos and Enoch. Guitarist Marcos Curiel and drummer Wuv Bernardo initially convened to perform material by favored punk and metal acts such as Bad Brains, the Vandals, Slayer, and Metallica. Their sound also absorbed jazz, reggae, Latin, and hip-hop influences that gained greater prominence once Wuv’s cousin, hip-hop MC Sonny Sandoval, joined in 1992. Cleveland-born bassist Traa Daniels completed the lineup in 1993.

Throughout the 1990s, P.O.D. maintained a rigorous touring schedule and moved more than 40,000 copies of their independently released EPs—Brown, Snuff the Punk, and P.O.D. Live—on Rescue Records. Atlantic Records recognized their tireless work ethic and cross-genre appeal, offering a contract. The 1999 major-label debut The Fundamental Elements of Southtown followed, with “Southtown” and “Rock the Party (Off the Hook)” charting and earning the album platinum status. At the 1999 San Diego Music Awards, the group received honors for Best Hard Rock or Metal Group, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for “Rock the Party (Off the Hook).”

In 2000, P.O.D. appeared on Ozzfest and joined Crazy Town and Staind on the MTV Campus Invasion tour. They also placed “School of Hard Knocks” on the soundtrack for the 2001 Adam Sandler film Little Nicky. Later that year Atlantic issued their second album, Satellite, produced by Howard Benson. The record reached number six on the Billboard 200 and featured the hit singles “Alive” and “Youth of the Nation,” both peaking inside the top two on the U.S. Alternative chart. The tracks received Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002 and 2003, respectively, after gaining added visibility following the September 11 attacks.

Founding guitarist Curiel departed in 2003 and was replaced by ex-Living Sacrifice guitarist Jason Truby, who performed on the fourth album, Payable on Death, which topped the Christian Albums chart. Extensive touring continued through late 2004. Early the next year the band recorded 2006’s Testify with producer Glen Ballard; the album again led the Christian Albums chart and entered the Billboard 200 top ten. That year P.O.D. exited Atlantic, commemorating the partnership with the Rhino compilation Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years. Also in 2006, Truby left on the same day Curiel requested to rejoin. Curiel participated in 2008’s When Angels and Serpents Dance, which included guest contributions from Suicidal Tendencies’ Mike Muir, Helmet’s Page Hamilton, and Cedella and Sharon Marley. After the album’s release, Sandoval stepped back to reassess his path and focus on family, prompting the cancellation of a European tour with Filter and an indefinite hiatus.

Sandoval later rejoined his bandmates. In 2012 P.O.D. resurfaced with Murdered Love on Razor & Tie, again produced by Howard Benson, who had helmed Satellite. The album reached the Billboard 200 top twenty and number one on the Top Christian Albums chart. Benson returned for the 2015 concept album The Awakening, which centered on a protagonist confronting hardships and featured guest vocals from In This Moment’s Maria Brink and Sick of It All’s Lou Koller. The tenth studio album, Circles, appeared in 2018 and contained the tracks “Rockin’ with the Best” and “Soundboy Killa.”

The band marked the twentieth anniversary of Satellite in 2021 and followed with an expanded reissue of When Angels and Serpents Dance the next year. By 2023 the lineup consisted of Sandoval, Curiel, and Daniels, who launched a new album cycle with “DROP,” featuring Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe. Additional singles “Afraid to Die” and “I Won’t Bow Down” preceded the eleventh studio album, 2024’s Veritas.