P.O.D. | |
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 P.O.D. atHellfest 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Payable on Death[1] Eschatos |
| Origin | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | P.O.D. discography |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | payableondeath |
P.O.D. (aninitialism forPayable on Death[6]) is an AmericanChristiannu metal band formed in 1992 and based inSan Diego,California. The band's line-up consists of vocalistPaul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval, bassistMark "Traa" Daniels, lead guitaristMarcos Curiel, and drummerNoah "Wuv" Bernardo.[6][7][8] They have sold over 12 million records worldwide.[9]
Over the course of their career, the band has received threeGrammy Award nominations, contributed to numerous motion picturesoundtracks and toured internationally. With their third studio album,The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, they achieved their initial mainstream success; the album was certifiedplatinum by theRIAA in 2000.[8][10] Their following studio album,Satellite, continued the band's success with the singles, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation", pushing it to go triple platinum.[10][11]
In 1991 as a precursor to P.O.D.,Sonny Sandoval fronted a rap/hip-hop group called Unlicensed Product,[12] whileWuv Bernardo,Marcos Curiel and Gabe Portillo were in athrash metal band called Eschatos.[13] In 1992, Eschatos recruited Sandoval on vocals, which Bernardo believed would help him with his mother's recent death toLeukemia. They renamed the group to Payable on Death, a banking-term pitched by Bernardo's girlfriend who worked in a bank at the time. The name was later shortened to P.O.D. They recorded their first song that year, "Three In the Power of One", which was later included on their debut studio albumSnuff the Punk.[12]
After recording a demo tape,Traa Daniels joined the band in 1994 when they needed a bassist for some shows to replace Portillo. P.O.D. signed withRescue Records, a label created by Bernardo's father, Noah Bernardo Sr., who was also the band's first manager.[14] Between 1994 and 1997, they released three albums under the label,Snuff the Punk,Brown andPayable on Death Live.[8] Longtime manager Tim Cook was first introduced to the band when he booked them to play his club The Where-House inBartlesville, Oklahoma, following strong localword of mouth support.[14] He later described their performance by saying: "I stood at the back of the venue with tears in my eyes – it was the greatest thing I had ever seen."[14] By that point, Bernardo Sr. was looking for someone else to take P.O.D.'s career further and so Cook took over as manager.[14]
Shortly after the release ofPayable on Death Live,Essential Records offered P.O.D. a $100,000 recording contract, but on behalf of the band Sandoval told band manager Tim Cook to decline the offer because, "God has a bigger plan for P.O.D."[15] When, in 1998,Atlantic Records A&RJohn Rubeli first came across P.O.D.'s demo he "didn't quite get it", as he later toldHitQuarters.[16] It was only when he saw them play live atThe Roxy on theSunset Strip.[16] The band was quickly signed to a major-label deal.[15] P.O.D. soon releasedThe Warriors EP, a tributeEP to their loyal fans as a transitional album from Rescue Records to Atlantic Records.
P.O.D.'s third studio album, 1999'sThe Fundamental Elements of Southtown, spawned the hits "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)", which was their first video to reach No. 1 on MTV'sTotal Request Live.[17] The song "School of Hard Knocks" was featured on the soundtrack forLittle Nicky while both "Southtown" and "Rock the Party" appeared in the movie. All threemusic videos enjoyed heavy play onMTV2, and the songs were rock radio hits. The album went on to becomeRIAA certified platinum.[8]
OnSeptember 11, 2001, P.O.D. released their fourth studio album,Satellite. The album's first single, "Alive", went on to become one ofMTV's andMTV2's top played videos of the year. The video's popularity, as well as the song's positive message, helped the song become a hugemodern rock radio hit, and it wasGrammy-nominated forBest Hard Rock Performance in 2002. Also in 2002, the band contributed the song "America" toSantana's albumShaman.
The album's second single, "Youth of the Nation", was influenced in part by theschool shootings atSantana High School,Columbine High School, andGranite Hills High School. It wasGrammy nominated forBest Hard Rock Performance in 2003. The 2002 singles, "Boom" and "Satellite", also became quite popular. In addition, the concluding track of the album, "Portrait," wasGrammy nominated forBest Metal Performance in 2003. "Boom" was used in, and part of its lyrics the title of, the comedy filmHere Comes the Boom, starringKevin James.[citation needed]
Satellite went on to become RIAA-certified triple platinum.[11] The author ofEncyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music has described P.O.D. as "One of the biggest success stories in recent Christian music."[18]
On February 19, 2003, guitarist Curiel left the band due to his side project,The Accident Experiment, and "spiritual differences." However, Curiel claimed that he was actually kicked out of the band.[19][20] Curiel was replaced byJason Truby, former member ofChristian metal bandLiving Sacrifice, and assisted with the recording of "Sleeping Awake", fromThe Matrix Reloadedsoundtrack. In an interview withYahoo! Music, Sandoval stated that Truby is the reason why the group is still together.[21] On November 4, 2003, P.O.D. released their fifth studio album,Payable on Death, which saw the group shift from their well-known rapcore sound to a darker, more melodic metal sound.[7] The album was hit with controversy due to its "occult" cover, which led as many as 85% of Christian bookstores across the United States to ban the album.[22] With the help of the album's hit single "Will You" and "Change the World", it went on to sell over 520,000 copies and was certifiedGold.[23]
P.O.D.'s sixth studio album,Testify, was slated for a December 2005 release, but was pushed back to January 24, 2006. On November 15, 2005, P.O.D. releasedThe Warriors EP, Volume 2, which featured demos from the upcoming album, to help build up the fans' anticipation for the pending January release. The album's first single, "Goodbye for Now" (with a vocal tag by a then-unknownKaty Perry) went on to become a No. 1 video on MTV'sTRL; along with having a solid radio presence, it also became the band's unprecedented 4th number one video on Total Request Live.[24] The second single off the album, "Lights Out" was a minor hit, but was featured as the official theme song toWWE'sSurvivor Series 2005. In another contribution to WWE, they performed fellow San Diego nativeRey Mysterio's theme song "Booyaka 619" atWrestleMania 22.[24] To promote their latest album, P.O.D. went on a nationwide tour called the "Warriors Tour 2: Guilty by Association", which began in April, and included the bandsPillar,The Chariot andMaylene and the Sons of Disaster.[25]
On August 11, 2006, P.O.D. announced in their online newsletter that they had leftAtlantic Records.[10][23]On September 16, 2006, P.O.D. announced that they had teamed up withRhino Records to release agreatest hits record simply titled,Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years, which was released on November 21, 2006. They shot a music video for their single "Going In Blind", one of the two new songs they included in the tenth album, and they had meetings with various record labels to begin working on new material for an album they hoped to release in mid-2007.[10]
In a statement made by the band's manager on theirMySpace page, it was officially announced, on December 30, 2006, thatJason Truby had left the band. They had said "God worked it out because Truby decided to leave the band the same day Curiel asked to rejoin." Curiel performed with the band for the first time since his departure on the 2006 New Year's Eve episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live!.[10]
On February 2, 2007, the band made a new record deal withINO Records.[26]
On June 1, 2007, at the Rockbox in San Diego, the band performed and revealed a new song entitled "Condescending", along with another new song performed on June 16, 2007, at the Journeys Backyard BBQ tour entitled "Addicted". They also revealed the title of their new album to beWhen Angels & Serpents Dance. On August 4, 2007, the band played atAngel Stadium of Anaheim's annualHarvest Crusade for a crowd of 42,000, where they revealed a new song, "I'll Be Ready", originally thought to be titled "WhenBabylon Come for I".[27]
The album cover was officially revealed on December 10, 2007.[28] The title track was released for free download on their site in January 2008. The first single "Addicted" was released on February 19 and peaked at No. 30 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album was released on April 8, 2008, entitledWhen Angels & Serpents Dance. On July 28, 2008, the group played a free public performance at theOrange County Choppers headquarters inNewburgh, NY, with OCC The Band opening. The band also played on August 16, 2008, at theAngel Stadium of Anaheim's annualHarvest Crusade. During September 2008, P.O.D. played alongside Redline,Behind Crimson Eyes,Alter Bridge, andDisturbed as part of the Music As a Weapon tour 2008 in Australia.[citation needed]
The band headlined the first annual Spring Jam Fest in May 2011. They appeared on the Rock of Allegiance tour later that summer.[29] On July 25, 2011, the band released a demo of the song "On Fire" as a free download on their official website.[30]
In October 2011, P.O.D. announced a multi-album artist deal withRazor & Tie.[31] On April 5, 2012, the song "Eyez" became a free download on the band's website for a limited time.[32] Shortly after, an article on their website stated that "Lost in Forever" would be the first single from the new album, entitledMurdered Love.[33]
Murdered Love was originally going to be released in June 2012, but was instead pushed back to July 10.[34] The album was produced byHoward Benson, who also producedSatellite andThe Fundamental Elements of Southtown. It was described by Curiel as "Back to our roots. A little bit of hip hop, a little bit of punk rock, or reggae".[35] The album caused controversy concerning its eleventh track, "I Am", which uses the word "fuck" (albeit backmasked).[36] Sandoval, explaining the purpose of the song, said:
"I'm a man of faith and I'm a follower and a believer of Jesus Christ, and in talking to these kids, and even in talking to people just throughout my career in P.O.D., a lot of these bands and athletes and all these people that you meet, they don't have a problem with Jesus. They have a problem with people that are religious and claim to know Jesus, but aren't living it or acting it and aren't loving the way Jesus did. [...] We had that song for almost a year, and I didn't take it lightly. I'd been praying on it for over a year. I'd actually took counsel and let people hear it. And it was 50/50. Some people are like, you know what, go for it. Because my heart is like, I don't write music for Christians. I don't write music for people that I believe are saved and going to heaven. [...] Ultimately we're trying to reach people fed up with religion that are sick and tired of it, and people that are in the real world that really are lost and confused."
The band went on tour withShinedown andThree Days Grace as an opening act.[38]
In a 2012 interview withBroken Records Magazine, Sandoval said that the band had to get their lives back in order and take care of personal needs before getting back into music, but was extremely happy about the response the band was getting from fans.[citation needed]
On October 22, 2013, P.O.D. released a deluxe edition ofMurdered Love. The album contains the original songs, slightly remixed, along with bonus tracks "Find a Way", "Burn It Down", acoustic versions of "Beautiful" and "West Coast Rock Steady", a remixed version of "On Fire", and music videos for "Murdered Love", "Beautiful", "Higher", and "Lost In Forever". Multiple behind the scenes videos were also on the track list.[citation needed]
In mid-2014, P.O.D. announced an acoustic album to be released toward the end of the year. The album was crowd-funded on the website PledgeMusic.[39] On October 20, 2014, P.O.D. announced a new record deal with T-Boy Records along with a new acoustic album.SoCal Sessions was released on November 17, 2014, and contained songs such as "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation".[40]
The band followed that release with another studio album,The Awakening, released on August 21, 2015, which was produced by Howard Benson,[41] with guest vocalists such asMaria Brink ofIn This Moment and Lou Koller ofSick of It All.[42]
On May 17, 2016, the band announced that they would be taking part in theMake America Rock Again super tour throughout the summer and fall 2016. The tour featured a number of artists who had success throughout the 2000s.[43]
On August 18, 2017, the band released a new song, "Soundboy Killa", and embarked on a fall tour promoting the song.[44]
In January 2018, it was announced that the band had signed a new record deal with Mascot Records.[45] They toured alongsideAlien Ant Farm,Lit, andBuckcherry on the "Gen-X Tour" in 2018.[46] Their tenth studio album,Circles, was released on November 16, 2018.[47]
In 2021, the band embarked on a major tour celebrating the 20th anniversary ofSatellite withFrom Ashes to New and All Good Things, starting inSturgis, South Dakota at Buffalo Chip on August 14, 2021, and ending on October 7, 2021, at the House of Blues inSan Diego, California.[48] During the European leg of the tour, drummer Wuv Bernardo dropped out to "take care of business at home", and ceased touring and appearing in public with the band.[49][50] To fill his absence, the band recruited formerSuicide Silence drummer Alex Lopez as touring member for subsequent tours.[51]
In August 2022 the band performed two sets on the same day at Seaworld. On October 14, 2022, the band reissuedWhen Angels & Serpents Dance, having the album remixed and remastered as well as featuring three bonus songs, one of which, "Don't Fake It", had appeared previously as an iTunes exclusive in 2008.[52]
P.O.D. releasedVeritas, their first studio album in six years and the first album without Bernardo, on May 3, 2024.[53][54] In an interview withUnited Rock Nations, Sandoval stated that Bernardo is "not out of the band", but rather is taking personal space due to tension in the band and "will always be the drummer of P.O.D."; Bernardo confirmed in an interview that he has taken a hiatus, stating that "Nothing is on bad terms, it's more we're having space right now. Being on tour for thirty years starts to take a toll on anybody in different ways...For me it was obvious that it was that time for me to take a break from the traveling and doing the whole circus over and over again. I don't think I was built to do it any longer at the time...Love the guys, always gonna love the band. I started the band in my garage. It's a part of my life, it's a part of my family, it's a part of all the love that I got. I'm always gonna be center, right there with the guys, knowing what's going on and everything like that. Whenever God wants me to come back, then that's what's up for me. That's where I'm at right now."[55][56][57]
In February 2024, the band announced the I Got That Tour supportingVeritas's release, which ran from April 26 to June 2 and was headlined byBad Wolves,Norma Jean andBlind Channel.[58][59]
On February 13, 2025, a version of "I Won't Bow Down" featuringA.N.I.M.A.L. was released.[60]
On September 25th, 2025, P.O.D. released a cover of "Don't Let Me Down" byThe Beatles, ahead of their tour as an opening act forSeether andDaughtry through October and November 2025.[61][62] The band also announced a special South American tour in December to finish out the year, with support fromDemon Hunter andLiving Sacrifice.[63][64]
The band's name, Payable on Death (P.O.D.), derives itself from the banking term "Payable on Death". The band chose this name to be a direct tie in with the Christian theology that explains thatsince Jesus died on the Cross, Christians' debts to God have been paid; in other words all believers, in their acceptance that Jesus was sacrificed for them on God's behalf, have inherited eternal life. P.O.D.'s style has evolved over the years, from therap metal sound on their early albums to thenu metal andreggae-infusedalternative metal styles for which they're most well known.[citation needed] The band's seventh album,When Angels & Serpents Dance, is a combination ofalternative rock,reggae rock and Latin-influenced metal with almost none of the rap metal or nu metal sound of their older releases. P.O.D.'s influences includeBoogie Down Productions,Run-DMC,U2,the Police,Bad Brains,Santana,Metallica,AC/DC,Suicidal Tendencies,Bob Marley,Primus,Earth, Wind & Fire,24-7 Spyz, andSteel Pulse.[citation needed]
Current members
Current touring musicians
Former members
Former touring musicians
Timeline
NRT We Love Awards
Note:Album- andsingle-specific awards and nominations are listed under their respective articles.
Almost militantly Christian, the band wears religion on its sleeve. Its name is an acronym for Payable on Death, a term that highlights the concept that how you live on Earth determines where you live after you die.
A darker album than its predecessor, Payable is built largely around Truby's precise slabs of distorted guitar. More quintessentially "metal" in his approach – think Metallica – and more of a conscientious technician than Marcos, Truby unfortunately lacks some of the unexpected spark that Marcos brought to P.O.D.
P.O.D. was with Atlantic for four albums and two EPs. The band signed with Atlantic in 1998, after selling more than 40,000 copies of its independently released EPs. The group's Atlantic debut, "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown", came out in 1999 and went platinum, while 2001's "Satellite" was a multi-platinum success. But the group felt that personnel changes at Atlantic were responsible for recent sales dips – more than 500,000 copies of 2003's "Payable On Death" were sold, but less than 250,000 copies of the recent "Testify".
The triple-platinum milestone was recently reached by hard rock act P.O.D.'s year-old "Satellite" (Atlantic)
P.O.D. was on the brink of breaking up after splitting with guitarist Marcos earlier this year. The band was saved, however, by their experience recording a new track for the Matrix Reloaded with a new member
it's "ironic" that the album has been banned by 85 percent of Christian bookstores in the U.S., reportedly because the cover is "occult."
Hard rock act P.O.D. has parted ways with Atlantic Records, to which it has been signed since 1999. According to a statement sent to members of the group's email list, the group became disillusioned with changes at the label.
After the performance, P.O.D. will bring their unique sound to a new recording of Rey Mysterio's "Booyaka 619" entrance theme. The band's immense popularity is evidenced by its four No. 1 videos on MTV's program "Total Request Live," which is an unprecedented achievement for a rock band.
P.O.D. will hit the road this spring with Pillar, the Chariot and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster as part of the Warriors Tour 2: Guilty by Association run.
The "classic" configuration of Sonny, Wuv, Traa, and returning original guitarist Marcos, who all last recorded together on 2001's Satellite, will begin working on a new album currently slated for a Summer 2007 release.
Music lent support to the talks presented by Laurie each night at the Harvest Crusade, reinforcing the message of God's love. From raucous hip-hop and rock from multi-platinum band P.O.D., to lively pop-infused music and dance steps from tobyMac, to an audience sing-a-long with the David Crowder Band, the Christian music represented at the crusade kept audiences on their feet.
Spiritual rockers P.O.D. (a.k.a. Payable On Death) released their new album, "When Angels & Serpents Dance", on April 8 via INO/Columbia Records.
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