Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

It's been seven years since the blockbuster album 'Satellite' saw the band break through as the biggest Christian band in America. In the interim they have struggled to repeat that success though with founding guitarist Marcos Curiel returning to the fold, my hopes were high for this new album. Curiel brings his unique sound back to the band and seems to help them become punchier than the last couple of albums but even so, this still not the killer album it could have been. I have to confess that I love the eclectic mix of styles expressed here and P.O.D. have always pushed out the boat creatively so no surprise that this is so much more than simply hardcore rock. I'd expected some reggae influences but the appearance of Bob Marley's daughters on "I'll Be Ready" is a nice touch. Elsewhere the Latin instrumental "Roman Empire" features some great guitar work and "God Forbid" kicks in with the kind of heaviosity that will require you to reinforce your speaker cabinets. Favourite track for me is the funky rock of 'Kaliforn-Eye-A" but I'm sure that if you're a P.O.D. fan, you'll find plenty to get excited about. However I'm left with the feeling that this should be a killer album and somehow even with the original line up back together again, they have lost their ability to deliver a knock out punch. Due to some strange contractual stuff, it doesn't look as though the album is going to get a UK release which is a shame. But then there's always a way of finding a copy online.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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