Pros: Incredible new guitarist, Phil Keaggy guests, Sonny tries something new, bonus disc is hella fun.
Cons: A tad short, mostly unimpressive lyrics, Sonny's voice annoying at parts.
The Bottom Line: Jason Truby adds a whole new flavor to the group, and Sonny flexes his voice. While it takes some getting used to, the new sound is ultimately enjoyable.
clarkparker's Full Review: Payable on Death by P.O.D.
I’ve always been a fan of the way P.O.D’s sound has progressed through every passing album. I like to see bands who take chances, and don’t release the same album multiple times. When P.O.D. got rid of their longtime friend and guitarist, Marcos Curiel, I was curious as to how that would affect the band. The single from The Matrix Reloaded was disappointing, and my hopes for the album went down a bit, but as soon as the newest album single, “Will You” was released, my faith was restored. This song was amazing. An honest and emotional love song that summarizes everything P.O.D. stands for. And so, I set out with high hopes to pick up the newest record.
Be forewarned...this album takes some definite getting used to. By now most people have probably heard “Will You” and are expecting similar songs from the rest of the album. If so, you will be surprised (pleasantly or not will depend on you). It was clear, for the most part, with Satellite, that the band was straying away from the heavy rap-rock sound they had perfected with Southtown, and adopting a more pure rock oriented feel. Songs like “Alive” and “Youth of the Nation” became staples for the new evolution of the band, and thus, they progressed into something more mainstream sounding. Not that this was entirely a bad thing. P.O.D. has always been a head above the rest of the customary nu-metal scene, and the change still had them retaining their original sound. So, the addition of ex-living Sacrifice guitarist Jason Truby has not led the band to become “heavier” as many fans have said it would. On the contrary, they have become softer. The new sound is cleaner, and much more melodic, not unlike bands like Pillar or Hoobastank. Some fans will definitely have a problem with this, especially upon first listen. This is an album that grows on you, and either it will, or it won’t. It’s as simple as that. Some people are going to despise this new sound, but I applaud it.
So, now that you know that Payable on Death is quite a change from Southtown, and even from Satellite, which was quite varied in its sound, how does the album hold up?
First off, Truby is everything the fat Mexican was and more. He is an amazing guitarist, and a very welcome addition to the band. His musical ability gels perfectly with the rest of the band, and the riffs in this album are as sweet as rock guitar comes. If anything this band needed, it was a fresh face and some new inspiration. Truby is that inspiration.
How do the songs fare, you’re probably wondering? I’ve broken them down for you.
1. WILDFIRE – A straight up rock song with your typical P.O.D. pseudo-rasta lyrics. A good opener, except Sonnny’s vocals can be a bit annoying at times.
2. WILL YOU – The most radio-friendly song on the record, and the obvious choice for first single. It is a powerful song about love and commitment and fear. It is also the song that most sounds like their previous work.
3. CHANGE THE WORLD – This one actually has pretty good lyrics. It’s about the world through the eyes of a child, and it works well. Sonny’s vocals on this one are really clean and straightforward.
4. EXECUTE THE SOUNDS – You had to be expecting a song like this on the record. It’s a very reggae sounding rap song, but more rock oriented then, say, Ridiculous was, with some of the album’s best guitar work.
5. FIND MY WAY – This is one of my personal favorites. For all the Christian fans wondering how their spiritual integrity holds up with the new CD, this is one of the best rock-worship songs I’ve heard. Like in Change the World, the melodies are very clean sounding, but punctuated with some nice screaming at parts.
6. REVOLUTION – This is also one of the record’s best tracks. Traa’s bass gets some good workout in this song, much more noticeably than any other track. This is probably the most impressive song, lyrically (with the exception of the bridge, where it seems like they just put in words for the sake of rhyming. “little lies, compromise, fireflies, samurais”). This is a solid rock track with an aggressive edge.
7. THE REASONS – This one plays like an edgier, faster version of “Thinking About Forever” from Satellite. Musically, this is one of the best tracks. The bass and drums mesh perfectly with the guitar and the background vocals here are beautiful.
8. FREEDOM FIGHTERS – A heavy, reggae sounding rock tune with an inspirational message, great bass work, and a good melodic sounding chorus which is only ruined by some irritating vocals from Sonny.
9. WAITING ON TODAY – Not much to say here. A good sing along song with a melodic chorus.
10. I AND IDENTIFY – An aggressive, energetic rock anthem with heavy verses and some nice screaming, with a softer, more melodic chorus, slightly akin to “Alive.” The verses here bear a striking resemblance to the newer Project 86 sound.
11. ATSHMA – Awesome song. Sonny gets his chance to do some screaming here, and he does it well, as always. The song bears a heavy Deftones resemblance at during the chorus and bridge, and Sonny even sounds similar to Incubus’ Brandon Boyd at times. There’s an amazing lead-in to the bridge.
12. ETERNAL – Easily the album’s best track, this seven-minute instrumental track is nothing but Jason Truby, a violin or two, and guitar legend Phil Keaggy playing one of the most emotional and uplifting duets you’ll ever have the pleasure of hearing. They both do some great work here, and this is the perfect way to finish off the album.
NOTE: The cd itself, is an enhanced disc, and can be used to download the non-album track “Space” (and a great remix of the same track) which is a straight-up rap song and hearkens back to the unabashedly fun “Boom.”
The Bottom Line:
Sonny has shown us that he can rap. He has shown us that he can scream. Now he’s showing us that he can sing. And sing he does well, although it will be subject of debate, just how much his voice is being synthesized here. As far as the rest of the band, Wuv and Traa aren’t as noticeably kickass as they have been in previous work, but that is likely due to the fact that this album is all about Jason Truby, who seems to overshadow the rest of the boys since he is just that good. The album itself is great, (though doesn’t quite live up to its own hype, or the greatness of Southtown) and while P.O.D. are fast on their way to not being able to be considered one of the leaders of rap-rock anymore, they are also fast on their way to becoming one hell of a melodic hard rock band.
3.5/5
NOTE: The cause of all the news before the album’s release was that it would ship with a limited edition Playstation2 data DVD, that would feature exclusive content. This disc is a nice addition, considering it comes at no extra cost. The contents include:
- A demo for the PS2 game, Amplitude, featuring an unreleased P.O.D. track, “Space” which users can play a game with or tweak to create their own remixes.
- A ten minute video interview with Daniel Martin Diaz, the artist who collaborated with the band to create the album art.
- A 50 minute video documentary called “Inside POD Culture” featuring interviews with the band, and a great interview that introduces Jason to the fans.
P.O.D.s groundbreaking new album comes with the full length album on an Enhanced CD, as well as a Playstation 2 disc containing a POD Video game and e...More at Christianbook.com
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