Posted: April 11th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ iTunes Release Date: April 8, 2008 via INO/Columbia
	P.O.D. is: Sonny Sandoval (Vocals) Marcos Curiel (Guitar) Traa Daniels (Bass) Wuv Bernardo (Drums)

Overview: Before I start dusting off the book that is P.O.D., let me go ahead and get the Ricki Lake portion of the review over with. Marcos Curiel was one of the band’s original members, he left reportedly citing ‘a desire to play angrier music’ (don’t quote me on that), he dabbled in his project The Accident Experiment for awhile, and now he’s back and relationships with the quartet are all gumdrops and lollipops; now, back to our regularly scheduled program. P.O.D. became a household name in rock music back at the dawn of the new millennium, with their major label debut ‘The Fundamental Elements of Southtown‘ bringing us radio smashes such as “Southtown” and “Rock the Party”, en route to platinum certification. The band blossomed even greater with their 2001 disc ‘Satellite‘, as tracks such as “Alive”, “Boom”, and “Youth of the Nation” earned P.O.D. multi-platinum status. Two more albums for Atlantic Records followed, but a sharp decline in sales granted P.O.D. a pink slip from their former label. With Columbia’s Christian rock imprint INO (home to other spiritually enhanced acts like Disciple and Decyfer Down) propping them up, P.O.D. are ready to rock once again with ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘. Listen for the album’s first single “Addicted” at rock radio now (not to be confused with the fellatio inspired Saving Abel single of the same name also at radio).

The Good: ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ is P.O.D. being themselves, and their not flashing too much leather pays dividends. Leadoff hitter “Addicted” is a pioneering choice for a first single, but the song does its job in refreshing what P.O.D. is known for-crisp and volcanic riffs, gripping vocals, and soaring choruses; be sure to give it a few extra listens, because although the song takes time to grow on you, it will become a staple among your favorite P.O.D. moments when all is said and done. The polished and clean-cut “Shine With Me” follows, and I was sucked into the song because of this spacey noise that canvasses the second verse-I don’t know what it is about that little addition, but if that doesn’t grab your attention, leave it to Sonny’s chesty and empowered vocals or a muscular bridge to do the job. “Condescending” always makes me smile, because it reminds me of 311’s older material which I sorely miss; without snubbing P.O.D., the song’s atmospheric and creative guitar work are astute enough to give it two firm feet on which to stand. Spelling out “Kaliforn-eye-a” doesn’t make this writer happy, but the distinguishable use of bongos and congas certainly makes this drummer giddy; the aforementioned song also highlights P.O.D.’s dynamics, retaining a virgin sound until its cherry is popped by a tirade of pummeling punk warfare. “I’ll Be Ready” is one of my two favorites, complete with a guest appearance from the Marley Girls and the Melody Makers that denounces any possible “Marley ripoff” tag thanks to Curiel’s Santana-inspired guitar licks and the soothing overlap of the female voice; P.O.D.’s spiritual beliefs aside, this song might be best enjoyed over some good sensi, but neither P.O.D. nor I could relate of course :). “This Ain’t No Ordinary Love” has a case of Ugly Duckling Syndrome, evolving from standard-fare commercial rock into one of the album’s boldest bridge-to-outro moments, further aided by its memorable lyrics. God forbid “God Forbid” failed to make the album’s final track list, because the cameo of Helmet mastermind Page Hamilton will make you jump for joy; a gut-wrenching amalgam of destructive chugs on the guitar, gnarling vocals, and bloodthirsty drums makes his presence known, firing off some of his best work since ‘Aftertaste’. ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ relaxes with “Roman Empire”, a set of paintbrush strokes from the graceful guitar prowess of Marcos Curiel; while the song remains nearly the same from start to finish, it will stealthily slip your mind as you close your eyes and become lost in the band’s fluent work. The second installment of “favorites” is “Tell Me Why”, a mature acoustic affair that stirs your emotions with some of Sonny’s most honest vocal work and the charming addition of a xylophone to make my smile for percussion elements cheese up as the album draws to a close. Just as I mentioned with “Tell Me Why”, ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ is some of the band’s most honest and revealing music, and the boys sound more revitalized than rehashed with this their seventh full length offering.

The Bad: ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ is one of P.O.D.’s smoothest rides down the highway, but not before hitting some speed-bumps and rush hour roundabouts along the way. While the bulk of the songs pack quite a punch musically and emotionally, several fall painfully short; unfortunately for P.O.D., the tunes where they decided to take a lunch break needed to make a dent but instead only made a dimple. The list of defendants is threefold, starting with “It Can’t Rain Everyday”; the song starts out intriguingly with mysterious guitars and precision cross-sticking from Wuv and then dies on the vine. Next we have the title track, a song that should never, ever wind up in this section; the song is the strongest of the trio, but being a meat and potatoes couple of minutes tucked between two of the album’s most breathtaking tracks doesn’t lend itself to being recognized. The final guilty party is another song that should never fall short, the album’s final track “Rise Against”, which sounds as if a massive build-up is taking shape early on and slowly dwindles into a forgettable dose of modern rock cement shoed by scatterbrained electronics. With the harshest lashings dished out, the thing most suffocating ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ is the lack of a true standout song, failing to give the album a true Ace card to deal; look where “Addicted” is on the charts after weeks at radio and it will make more sense.

Bottomline: ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ is the first time I dabbled in P.O.D.’s music since their self-titled 2003 effort, my personal favorite; despite the gap, it feels just like listening to the same band I heard in 2003, which is both comforting and upsetting at the same time. I hate to say P.O.D. sticks to a predestined niche, but that’s the reality. Yes, the band is leaps and bounds more creative in their routine than say Chad “DUI” Turton’s band, but even when P.O.D. is clearly firing on all cylinders as artists on this album, it only feels like they are tightening a few nuts and bolts here and there rather than making progress. ‘When Angels and Serpents Dance‘ will please P.O.D. fans far and wide and could certainly breathe life into a helping of new fans; however, you have to wonder when P.O.D. is going to smash through that glass ceiling they are trapped right beneath, and climb back up that mountain in the rock music world which they sat atop a few albums ago.

Rating: 7 out of 10