07/13/00

Rating : 4 out of 5 stars.

  P.O.D. (Payable On Death) comes across as yet another rap/rock band in the vein of Limp Bizkit or Korn, providing heavy guitars and DJ/turntable scratching along with rapping (some singing too).  The twist is that they're a Christian band.  Wait, don't stop reading.  I'll admit that I have a prejudice against many Christian bands. Not for their message but usually for their lame musicianmanship and poor production qualities.

P.O.D. just went gold!

  The Fundamental Elements Of Southtown, however is a great sounding CD. The production is top-notch and the performances are tight. The only thing that I can criticize is that some of the songs didn't really hold my interest after the second listen.

  Their first single, Southtown is definitely one of the CDs standouts. They surprisingly do a cover of U2's Bullet The Blue Sky, filling it with a nice bottom heavy groove.
  As far as the playing goes, it's about what you'd expect, heavy/crunchy guitars and rock/funk drums but the standout for me was Traa's bass playing. Traa, always holds down a solid bass line but occasionally will include some nice funk slap like on the first song Hollywood.

Bottom Line : If you're looking for a heavy sounding CD with great playing and a positive message, look no further.

P.O.D. Official Web Site http://www.payableondeath.com/