| Years active: |
1992-present |
| Genre(s): |
Nu-metal, Rap, Reggae |
| Label(s): |
Warner Music/Atlantic Records |
| Members: |
Sonny Sandoval, Jason Truby, Traa Daniels, Wuv Bernardo |
HISTORY
While the exact date of formation remains unknown, friends Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo engaged in jam sessions without a vocalist. After his mother's fatal illness, Sonny Sandoval converted to Christianity after seeing God in her eyes as she died; he joined P.O.D in 1992. Traa Daniels joined the band later when they needed a bassist for a concert. Before this time, they had a bassist named Gabe Portillo who appeared on the original demo tape of '91. Sonny also has some talent on the bass guitar, so it is possible that he filled the position for a while.
P.O.D. signed with a relatively unknown Christian label, Rescue Records, and released albums between 1994 and 1999, Snuff the Punk (1994) and Brown (1996). In 1997, they released a CD of live recordings from the TomFest Christian concert. Their main activity was focused on building a strong fan base first in the San Diego area and then throughout the rest of America. In 1998, they signed with Atlantic Records which brought the mass-media coverage that self-production would not bring.
P.O.D.'s 1999 mainstream debut album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, spawned the hits "Southtown," "School of Hard Knocks," which was featured on the soundtrack for Little Nicky, and the Total Request Live favorite "Rock the Party." All three music videos enjoyed heavy play on MTV2 and the songs were rock radio hits.
Prior to the release of The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, P.O.D. released The Warriors EP, a tribute EP to their loyal fans. This limited edition CD has only 30,000 copies in print and was licensed by Atlantic Records and distributed by Tooth & Nail Records.
In 2001, on the same day as the now infamous September 11, 2001 attacks, P.O.D. released the video for their second album, Satellite. The album's first single, "Alive," already a rock radio hit, went on to become one of MTV and MTV2's most played videos of the year. The video's popularity, as well as the song's positive messages to be grateful for life, helped the song become a huge pop radio hit. "Alive" also has religious undertones and is played in C tuning.
The album's second single, "Youth of the Nation," was inspired in part by the school shootings at Santana High School and Granite Hills High School. The 2002 singles "Boom" and "Satellite" were not as popular as the first two singles.
In 2003, guitarist Marcos Curiel left the band due to his side project, The Accident Experiment, and spiritual differences. Curiel was replaced by Jason Truby, former member of Christian thrash/death metal band Living Sacrifice. In the same year they released their third mainstream album, Payable on Death.
On November 15, 2005, P.O.D. released The Warriors EP, Volume 2 as a tribute to their many fans. It features some demos from their sixth album Testify, as well as two live tracks, two b-sides, and a cover version of the 1980s Payolas reggae hit "Eyes of a Stranger."
Testify was slated for a December 2005 release, but was pushed back to January 24, 2006. The first single released from the album was "Goodbye for Now," with another new song called "Lights Out" being featured as the "official theme song" to WWE's Survivor Series pay per view event in November 2005.
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