**Rekindling the flame**
P.O.D. have been plodding along for about two decades now, doing their thing and refusing to fade away like most of their peers from the golden nu metal era. More importantly, those who have at one point liked P.O.D. have never been entirely let down by the band. Sure, their last outing before this one, Where Angels And Serpents Dance, was a totally uneven album with about a 50:50 ratio of strikes and misses, but never have P.O.D. offered an album that is consistently weak from start to finish. Nevertheless, it can not be denied that the band peaked in early-to-mid 2000s and its popularity has steadily and surely dwindled since – being also reflective of the quality of the releases that followed Satellite. Their self-titled album (2003) sounded like the band was playing it safe, 2006’s Testify was inconsistent with some true gems and some horrible duds, and 2008’s Where Angels And Serpents Dance saw the band try out a new sound – rather unsuccessfully. It must be acknowledged that there is some merit behind sayings that suggest post-Satellite P.O.D. is a singles band first and foremost. So now, in 2012, more than four years after the release of When Angels And Serpents Dance, what have P.O.D. got in store for us ? Is it a continuation of their decline? No, it’s a truly positive surprise instead.
Murdered Love is not only a bounce back from their worst album since the debut, it’s a top 3 P.O.D. album in general, ranking right behind the (by now) untouchable duo of The Fundamental Elements of Southtownand Satellite. Many of the features that made P.O.D. great in the first place have been brought back and the band seems to be once again at peace with itself and what it is doing. If When Angels And Serpents Dancewas a desperate try by P.O.D. to reinvent their sound and stay relevant, then Murdered Love is the band saying "*** it, let’s do what we did best in the first place". Straight from the get-go you can hear old-school P.O.D., as "Eyez" introduces the listener to what is probably the muddiest P.O.D. song since the '90s, and thankfully it doesn't stop there as the following "Murdered Love" sees frontman Sonny Sandoval actually scream once more. Of course there are the token softer songs on offer, like the third track "Higher" and single "Lost In Forever", but those pace-changers are well-executed and don't take anything away from the fact that for the first time since Satellite, P.O.D. sound genuinely fiery and assertive.
This is not only seen in the instrumental side either; lyrically, P.O.D. have, frankly, never been as to-the-point and direct as they are on Murdered Love. Take "Beautiful" for example, which contains lines like "And she cries but her man denies / its funny how love comes with so many lies / and he said he'd never do it again / so she puts on a smile and she starts to pretend / she hides all the pain inside / while filling up her arms with pretty little lies / she cuts with no intent to kill / this time she didn't do it, but someday she will". While that doesn't sound extreme by any means, the delivery along with the lyrics is stake knife sharp and honest. And that is before we get to the closer "I Am", which is probably the most "real" song any Christian rock band has ever written. Throughout these 11 tracks, you can feel that P.O.D. have somehow regained the fire that made them such an energetic, anthemic band in the first place. Thanks to that creative fire, even weaker tracks like "On Fire", which emulates the Limp Bizkit school of rap-rock, or "Bad Boy", which sounds bizarre when sung by a 38 year-old, married religious man, are far less worse than the duds on any other recent album by them.
Even if one had been an avid follower of P.O.D. throughout their career, it was hard to hope too much out ofMurdered Love prior its release. Guys in their late 30s playing a rap-rock/alt metal hybrid – it’s just not the craze anymore these days. But credit should be given where credit is due, and with Murdered Love, P.O.D. have once more created a very solid record that exhibits perfectly why they are still around and most other groups of the same ilk aren’t. The band sounds fiery at long last and a lot more intense and honest than they did on some of their other post-Satellite releases. The more straightforward rock/metal tracks straight-up rock, and the softer ones bring with them a welcome change of pace, instead of being a nuisance to the record’s flow. Sometimes, all one needs to do in order to succeed is to relax and go back to what worked well in the first place, instead of desperately trying to find a (renewed) spot in the ever-changing world of music. P.O.D. did that, and the result is their best album in a decade.
Murdered Love isn't perfect, and it's not quite as good as 1999's Fundamental Elements or 2001's Satellite. But it's definitely a step forward for the band.
P.O.D. struck gold with Satellite. The September 2001 album launched the band further into the mainstream, and became a huge international hit. Songs like "Alive" and "Satellite" were aggressive instrumentally but had uplifting lyrics that were almost therapeutic for people after the events of 9/11. But the success didn't last long. After replacing their guitarist, releasing several mediocre albums, and a four-year hiatus, the band is back with a great new record. It's called Murdered Love.
"Eyez" is an excellent album opener. Jamey Jasta, from Hatebreed, performs background vocals here. They complement Sonny Sandoval's singing nicely. The title track is next, and it also features a special guest - underground rapper Sick Jacken. The chorus gets a bit repetitive with Jacken repeating "The day that they murdered" several times, but nevertheless this is still a solid track.
Singles "Higher" and "Lost in Forever" are good but they sound much too similar to some of the band's other songs. The former is an obvious rehash of "Alive", and "Lost in Forever" sounds like a heavier "Goodbye for Now". Unoriginality is one of Murdered Love's biggest issues.
Sandoval has always been a decent songwriter. However, "Beautiful" suffers from awful, cheesy lyrics ("No matter what the people say / It's all going to be okay / You're beautiful to me") that remind me too much of that One Direction song sharing a similar name. This is by far the worst (and slowest) track on the album. It doesn't sound anything like P.O.D. Sure, a style change is nice, but I don't think the band should be heading this direction lyrically or musically. The political Japanese bonus track "Find a Way" would've been a fine replacement.
"Babylon the Murderer" makes up for the atrocity that is "Beautiful". This beast of a song has a reggae rock sound that P.O.D. have displayed in some of their other tracks. "Panic & Run" also features this reggae feel, but it's a faster song that would probably chart well as the band's next single. The birds chirping at the beginning are said to be a reference to Chicken Little. This makes sense after hearing the first line of the chorus: "The sky is falling, haven't you heard?"
Again with the poor songwriting. While "Bad Boy" is a fun, catchy track reminiscent of early Red Hot Chili Peppers, it's almost completely ruined by cheesy lyrics. Lines like "And girl, I'm looking for a love that's true / Not just another ho to do" and "I'ma wife you up and make it right / Gonna turn you to a freak tonight" are a little creepy coming from a married Christian man. Definitely one of the album's weaker songs.
The powerful but provocative (at least, to some of the band's more religious fans) track "I Am" closes out the record. This is certainly one of Murdered Love's highlights. The song has some great lyrics and includes a nice guitar solo, the latter courtesy of Marcos Curiel. "I Am" is one of the band's darkest and heaviest tracks. It ends the album with a bang, and keeps the listener wanting more. In a very good way.
Murdered Love isn't perfect, and it's not quite as good as 1999's Fundamental Elements or 2001's Satellite. But it's definitely a step forward for the band. If not for "Beautiful", I might've given the album a higher rating. Check this out whenever you have a chance. Yet another band looking to rekindle the fire they once had, this attempt actually coming close.
The past 12 months have been filled with quite a few older nu-metal bands attempting to revive a genre that’s short lifespan has since been beaten to a pulp. It’s the sad result of both swelling hatred from those who weren’t fans and ever-dying interest in those of us who were. One such attempt was Limp Bizkit’s return with 2011’s Gold Cobra that (relative to the junk they released way back when) was passable. Thousand Foot Krutch decided to step backwards from the more melodic hard rock from 2009’s Welcome to the Masquerade to their nu-metal roots with 2012’s negligible release The End Is Where We Begin. The point is, neither of these attempts managed to really revive the genre. Even Linkin Park’s recent June release is struggling to gasp for air. In fact, they’ve all proven that the idea of reviving it at all is a fool’s errand. P.O.D. have walked the same path here with Murdered Love. It’s obvious the band sought to bring back the nu-metal anthems from the early 2000s that they are known for. And while the album is full of hits, some of their strongest in a while, it’s a reminder of how hard it is to really give a rat’s ass anymore. It’s still a consistent release though from a band who we haven’t heard from in over 4 years.
The album has a mix of both formulaic and experimental songs. The title track and “Babylon the Murderer” have identical strategies, slowly leading with a quieter version of the core riff followed by the same riff at the volume you would expect from them. The riffs on the album’s louder tracks are all powerful (if not more nostalgic than anything), examples being “On Fire” and opener “Eyez”. They fuel the songs and give them some
P.O.D. have been plodding along for about two decades now, doing their thing and refusing to fade away like most of their peers from the golden nu metal era. More importantly, those who have at one point liked P.O.D. have never been entirely let down by the band. Sure, their last outing before this one, Where Angels And Serpents Dance, was a totally uneven album with about a 50:50 ratio of strikes and misses, but never have P.O.D. offered an album that is consistently weak from start to finish. Nevertheless, it can not be denied that the band peaked in early-to-mid 2000s and its popularity has steadily and surely dwindled since – being also reflective of the quality of the releases that followed Satellite. Their self-titled album (2003) sounded like the band was playing it safe, 2006’s Testify was inconsistent with some true gems and some horrible duds, and 2008’s Where Angels And Serpents Dance saw the band try out a new sound – rather unsuccessfully. It must be acknowledged that there is some merit behind sayings that suggest post-Satellite P.O.D. is a singles band first and foremost. So now, in 2012, more than four years after the release of When Angels And Serpents Dance, what have P.O.D. got in store for us ? Is it a continuation of their decline? No, it’s a truly positive surprise instead.
Murdered Love is not only a bounce back from their worst album since the debut, it’s a top 3 P.O.D. album in general, ranking right behind the (by now) untouchable duo of The Fundamental Elements of Southtownand Satellite. Many of the features that made P.O.D. great in the first place have been brought back and the band seems to be once again at peace with itself and what it is doing. If When Angels And Serpents Dancewas a desperate try by P.O.D. to reinvent their sound and stay relevant, then Murdered Love is the band saying "*** it, let’s do what we did best in the first place". Straight from the get-go you can hear old-school P.O.D., as "Eyez" introduces the listener to what is probably the muddiest P.O.D. song since the '90s, and thankfully it doesn't stop there as the following "Murdered Love" sees frontman Sonny Sandoval actually scream once more. Of course there are the token softer songs on offer, like the third track "Higher" and single "Lost In Forever", but those pace-changers are well-executed and don't take anything away from the fact that for the first time since Satellite, P.O.D. sound genuinely fiery and assertive.
This is not only seen in the instrumental side either; lyrically, P.O.D. have, frankly, never been as to-the-point and direct as they are on Murdered Love. Take "Beautiful" for example, which contains lines like "And she cries but her man denies / its funny how love comes with so many lies / and he said he'd never do it again / so she puts on a smile and she starts to pretend / she hides all the pain inside / while filling up her arms with pretty little lies / she cuts with no intent to kill / this time she didn't do it, but someday she will". While that doesn't sound extreme by any means, the delivery along with the lyrics is stake knife sharp and honest. And that is before we get to the closer "I Am", which is probably the most "real" song any Christian rock band has ever written. Throughout these 11 tracks, you can feel that P.O.D. have somehow regained the fire that made them such an energetic, anthemic band in the first place. Thanks to that creative fire, even weaker tracks like "On Fire", which emulates the Limp Bizkit school of rap-rock, or "Bad Boy", which sounds bizarre when sung by a 38 year-old, married religious man, are far less worse than the duds on any other recent album by them.
Even if one had been an avid follower of P.O.D. throughout their career, it was hard to hope too much out ofMurdered Love prior its release. Guys in their late 30s playing a rap-rock/alt metal hybrid – it’s just not the craze anymore these days. But credit should be given where credit is due, and with Murdered Love, P.O.D. have once more created a very solid record that exhibits perfectly why they are still around and most other groups of the same ilk aren’t. The band sounds fiery at long last and a lot more intense and honest than they did on some of their other post-Satellite releases. The more straightforward rock/metal tracks straight-up rock, and the softer ones bring with them a welcome change of pace, instead of being a nuisance to the record’s flow. Sometimes, all one needs to do in order to succeed is to relax and go back to what worked well in the first place, instead of desperately trying to find a (renewed) spot in the ever-changing world of music. P.O.D. did that, and the result is their best album in a decade.
Murdered Love isn't perfect, and it's not quite as good as 1999's Fundamental Elements or 2001's Satellite. But it's definitely a step forward for the band.
P.O.D. struck gold with Satellite. The September 2001 album launched the band further into the mainstream, and became a huge international hit. Songs like "Alive" and "Satellite" were aggressive instrumentally but had uplifting lyrics that were almost therapeutic for people after the events of 9/11. But the success didn't last long. After replacing their guitarist, releasing several mediocre albums, and a four-year hiatus, the band is back with a great new record. It's called Murdered Love.
"Eyez" is an excellent album opener. Jamey Jasta, from Hatebreed, performs background vocals here. They complement Sonny Sandoval's singing nicely. The title track is next, and it also features a special guest - underground rapper Sick Jacken. The chorus gets a bit repetitive with Jacken repeating "The day that they murdered" several times, but nevertheless this is still a solid track.
Singles "Higher" and "Lost in Forever" are good but they sound much too similar to some of the band's other songs. The former is an obvious rehash of "Alive", and "Lost in Forever" sounds like a heavier "Goodbye for Now". Unoriginality is one of Murdered Love's biggest issues.
Sandoval has always been a decent songwriter. However, "Beautiful" suffers from awful, cheesy lyrics ("No matter what the people say / It's all going to be okay / You're beautiful to me") that remind me too much of that One Direction song sharing a similar name. This is by far the worst (and slowest) track on the album. It doesn't sound anything like P.O.D. Sure, a style change is nice, but I don't think the band should be heading this direction lyrically or musically. The political Japanese bonus track "Find a Way" would've been a fine replacement.
"Babylon the Murderer" makes up for the atrocity that is "Beautiful". This beast of a song has a reggae rock sound that P.O.D. have displayed in some of their other tracks. "Panic & Run" also features this reggae feel, but it's a faster song that would probably chart well as the band's next single. The birds chirping at the beginning are said to be a reference to Chicken Little. This makes sense after hearing the first line of the chorus: "The sky is falling, haven't you heard?"
Again with the poor songwriting. While "Bad Boy" is a fun, catchy track reminiscent of early Red Hot Chili Peppers, it's almost completely ruined by cheesy lyrics. Lines like "And girl, I'm looking for a love that's true / Not just another ho to do" and "I'ma wife you up and make it right / Gonna turn you to a freak tonight" are a little creepy coming from a married Christian man. Definitely one of the album's weaker songs.
The powerful but provocative (at least, to some of the band's more religious fans) track "I Am" closes out the record. This is certainly one of Murdered Love's highlights. The song has some great lyrics and includes a nice guitar solo, the latter courtesy of Marcos Curiel. "I Am" is one of the band's darkest and heaviest tracks. It ends the album with a bang, and keeps the listener wanting more. In a very good way.
Murdered Love isn't perfect, and it's not quite as good as 1999's Fundamental Elements or 2001's Satellite. But it's definitely a step forward for the band. If not for "Beautiful", I might've given the album a higher rating. Check this out whenever you have a chance. Yet another band looking to rekindle the fire they once had, this attempt actually coming close.
The past 12 months have been filled with quite a few older nu-metal bands attempting to revive a genre that’s short lifespan has since been beaten to a pulp. It’s the sad result of both swelling hatred from those who weren’t fans and ever-dying interest in those of us who were. One such attempt was Limp Bizkit’s return with 2011’s Gold Cobra that (relative to the junk they released way back when) was passable. Thousand Foot Krutch decided to step backwards from the more melodic hard rock from 2009’s Welcome to the Masquerade to their nu-metal roots with 2012’s negligible release The End Is Where We Begin. The point is, neither of these attempts managed to really revive the genre. Even Linkin Park’s recent June release is struggling to gasp for air. In fact, they’ve all proven that the idea of reviving it at all is a fool’s errand. P.O.D. have walked the same path here with Murdered Love. It’s obvious the band sought to bring back the nu-metal anthems from the early 2000s that they are known for. And while the album is full of hits, some of their strongest in a while, it’s a reminder of how hard it is to really give a rat’s ass anymore. It’s still a consistent release though from a band who we haven’t heard from in over 4 years.
The album has a mix of both formulaic and experimental songs. The title track and “Babylon the Murderer” have identical strategies, slowly leading with a quieter version of the core riff followed by the same riff at the volume you would expect from them. The riffs on the album’s louder tracks are all powerful (if not more nostalgic than anything), examples being “On Fire” and opener “Eyez”. They fuel the songs and give them some