Vinyl LP Info

At their best, P.O.D. have captured the anguish and defiance seething inside America’s urban underbelly. 2008’s When Angels & Serpents Dance welcomes original guitarist Marcus Curiel back into the fold, but the restoration of Curiel’s scorching yet lyrical guitar touch doesn’t signal a full return to P.O.D.’s hard-pumping rap/hardcore origins. Much of this album is devoted to midtempo tracks that simmer rather than slam. “I’ll Be Ready” (a reggaefied excursion into Babylon) and the title track (jazzy, with a spiritually-intriguing lyric) show impressive subtlety and finesse. Less compelling are such tracks as “Shine With Me” and “Rise Against,” but these milder moments are compensated for by the snarling “Addicted” and the volcanic “God Forbid,” giving vocalist Sonny Sandoval room to shred his throat righteously. P.O.D.’s Christian faith finds expression in antiwar lamentations (“Tell Me Why”) and compassionate homilies (“It Can’t Rain Every Day”). The music here is the work of streetwise veterans, reaching beyond easy slogans and heavy riffs towards a more nuanced maturity. - iTunes