|
Join our e-mail list! |
|
Just type your e-mail address below and
press submit.
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
P. O. D.
Satellite
Atlantic Records, 2001
By Gregory Pierce
November 5, 2001
It’s
been almost two years since California’s P.O.D. (Payable On Death) released
the groundbreaking Fundamental Elements of
Southtown. Today, I was
overjoyed to find Satellite
on the shelf of the local Christian bookstore.
I’ll admit it. I’m a huge fan of the band, so I had been counting the
days of its release.
This CD
met every one of my expectations. It
was worth the wait. Sonny, Marcos,
Traa, and Wuv have put together a CD that will stand in the secular world as a
voice for Christian music…and a strong stand it is.
Satellite
explodes with Wuv’s incredible drum sound, starting with the song, “Set It
Off.” It contained all the
aspects that have made P.O.D. such an incredible entity.
Marcos’ guitar sounds even more aggressive and intricate.
Traa has the bass thumping right along with Wuv.
Sonny has kept true to his hip-hop roots with an added bit of melody that
wasn’t very present on Southtown.
The
second song on the disc is their first single, “Alive.”
I heard it repeatedly on secular radio, as well as Christian radio, many
weeks before the release of the CD. It’s
heavy, like most of their music, but this song has an added bonus—Sonny sings.
He’s known for his rapping skills, but now he gets to show his distinct
style of singing. The
anthem-of-a-chorus of “I,
I feel so alive / for the very first time / I can’t deny You / I, I feel so
alive / for the very first time / and I think I can fly” is
inspiring. It’s heavy music
that’s not negative. I think
that’s what many have been looking for.
“Youth
of the Nation” is one of the more different sounding songs on the album, but
probably one of the best. It’s
not a heavy song. In fact, Marcos
doesn’t even use distortion on his guitar.
The ending features a children’s choir, making this song a breakthrough
in heavy music. The verses feature
short story-like lyrics about children going through various trials.
I read that this song was inspired by the recent school shootings.
The
title song, “Satellite,” is an incredible sample of P.O.D.’s songwriting
skills, musically and lyrically. It
speaks of how God is like a satellite watching us from above.
Its catchy chorus is among the previous songs above that will stick in
your head all day long. The music
is compiled of one great guitar riff after another.
Marcos is clearly defining his roots with this song.
“Ghetto”
caught me off guard. It sounds like
P.O.D. paying tribute to King’s X. It
starts with a beautiful verse-chorus medley with “I
believe / that this world believes in love.”
However, later in the song the line “The
world is a ghetto” explodes from your speakers.
The song speaks of “agreeing to disagree” and not living according to
this “ghetto” of a world.
The
last song on the disc, “Portrait,” was originally entitled “Christ,” and
that’s exactly what it presents, a portrait of Jesus.
It’s a hard-hitting song that’s somewhat hard to understand,
lyrically. Some of the lyrics that
are screamed are “Christ
– Jah flesh; Christ – Light within; Christ – Beginning and the end.”
The great thing about this song is that not only do Christians have a
chance to hear “Christ,
Jah flesh,” but secular listeners also.
I’ve
stated before, that I respect P.O.D. for their ability to stand out in the world
of music. Not Christian music, or
secular music, just music.
They’ve been on tour with Ozzy. That
says a lot, considering they’re still writing songs like “Portrait.”
Now the people that became fans of P.O.D. at Ozzfest will want to buy the
new album, full of songs about Jesus.
Sadly,
I’ll remember buying this CD forever. It
was released September 11, 2001…the day America was attacked.
I didn’t feel up to listening to it at the time, but thankfully, later
on, it became a slight diversion from the news I had been listening to, 24-7.
In more ways than one¾Thank
God for P.O.D. And God bless
America.
ninetyandnine.com
©
2001, Gregory Pierce
---------
Gregory
Pierce is a full time digital imaging artist.
He loves teaching Bible studies, and preaching the Gospel.
When he’s not playing guitar to impress girls, he…well, doesn’t do
much of anything.
|
