{"id":24354,"date":"2015-08-16T12:36:52","date_gmt":"2015-08-16T17:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/?p=24354"},"modified":"2015-08-16T12:40:44","modified_gmt":"2015-08-16T17:40:44","slug":"p-o-d-the-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/","title":{"rendered":"P.O.D. – The Awakening"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"POD-The-Awakening-Album-Cover\"<\/a><\/p>\n

P.O.D.<\/p>\n

The Awakening<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When George H. Bush\u2019s voice comes through the speakers at the start of P.O.D.\u2019s new album, you know something different is at hand. Payable On Death has decided to jump through a fiery hoop that few rock and roll bands survive \u2013 the concept album. The Who did it twice \u2013 with Tommy<\/em> and Quadrophenia<\/em>. Pink Floyd pulled it off in grand fashion with The Wall<\/em>. Queensryche did it for heavy metal with the elaborate Operation Mindcrime<\/em>. All the success stories have one common thread: good songs. \u201cComfortably Numb,\u201d \u201cPinball Wizard,\u201d \u201cThe Real Me\u201d and \u201cLove Reign O\u2019er Me\u201d all lived on in spite of the storyline from which they were pulled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Queensryche seemingly pulled off the impossible, because they loaded Mindcrime<\/em> up with so many great songs \u2013 \u201cRevolution Calling,\u201d \u201cI Don\u2019t Believe in Love,\u201d \u201cSpreading the Disease,\u201d \u201cThe Needle Lies,\u201d \u201cEyes of a Stranger\u201d and the title track. \u201cSpeak\u201d and \u201cSuite Sister Mary\u201d are no throwaways, either. It was hard rock with a conscience, as the storyline wove in and out of love, betrayal, drugs, murder and corrupt corporate leadership. The dialog taken on its own was quite compelling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All that being said, our favorite hardcore\/hip-hop hybrid boys from Southtown come to the table with a tall order to fill. The storyline is dramatic and somewhat compelling: a young man that\u2019s lost his way, hunted and confronted with the truth, and finally forgiveness. While the dialog is delivered in a less-than-compelling manner at times, the story works. But what does make this album stand on its own and not fail as an artistic statement is the songs. They rock, they move and they show the band at the top of their game.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Guitarist Marcos Curiel really shines on this album, displaying tight, aggressive and tough playing, great tone and with feeling throughout the entire set. Wuv Bernardo\u2019s drumming sounds prominent and especially powerful in several songs, like \u201cGet Down,\u201d and frontman Sonny Sandoval mixes it up between talk-singing, screaming and melodically crooning. He sounds really good all over The Awakening<\/em>. Bassist Traa Daniels doesn\u2019t necessarily stand out, but that\u2019s a good thing, because if you listen carefully, he\u2019s right in the pocket and holding it all together with steady playing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When looking back at P.O.D.\u2019s amazing career, there\u2019s probably going to be some landmark albums that stand out in most fan\u2019s minds \u2013 the multi-Platinum Satellite<\/em>, the major label debut (and third full-length) Fundamental Elements of Southtown<\/em> and Testify<\/em>, with its guest appearances from Matisyahu are all at the top. I\u2019d include 2012\u2019s Murdered Love<\/em> as a return to the band\u2019s high bar of excellence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This one is not far behind. Songs like the lead-off track, \u201cAm I Awake,\u201d \u201cThis Goes Out to You\u201d and \u201cCriminal Conversations\u201d bear repeated listens. While the imprint of the \u201cconcept album\u201d dialog is heavy-handed, once these songs start, you can almost forget you\u2019re part of a story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cRise of NWO\u201d finds the band churning out great intensity, while \u201cCriminal Conversations\u201d swells up with a melodic chill that conjures \u201cSatellite\u201d or \u201cGoodbye for Now.\u201d The heavier follow-up, \u201cSomebody\u2019s Trying to Kill Me,\u201d swings hard dynamically and has the passion of a tune like \u201cAnything Right.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSpeed Demon\u201d and \u201cRevolucion\u201d both rip along at a hardcore and brisk pace that tilts the energy levels high \u2013 the latter of which might turn into a fan favorite, or at least cause some movement when played live. \u201cWant It All\u201d is a real departure, with some jazzy horns. I know I\u2019ll be listening to tunes like the title track, \u201cAm I Awake\u201d and \u201cThis Goes Out to You\u201d many years from now. They feel like they\u2019ll have lasting and staying power.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is it their best album yet? Probably not, but included in a career-full catalog with no real stinkers, it\u2019s a solid middle-of-the-pack to be in. [Columbia] Doug Van Pelt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

P.O.D. The Awakening   When George H. Bush\u2019s voice comes through the speakers at the start of P.O.D.\u2019s new album, you know something different is at hand. Payable On Death has decided to jump through a fiery hoop that few rock and roll bands survive \u2013 the concept album. The Who did it twice \u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":24355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,17,23],"tags":[3886,1389,3889,1995,2105,2284,2317,2517,3887,3888,3302,3890],"class_list":["post-24354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","category-blog","category-reviews","tag-hardcore","tag-hm","tag-marcos-curiel","tag-metal","tag-music","tag-p-o-d","tag-payable-on-death","tag-review","tag-satellite","tag-sonny-sandoval","tag-traa-daniels","tag-wuv-bernardo","cat-26-id","cat-17-id","cat-23-id"],"yoast_head":"\nP.O.D. - The Awakening - The Original Heaven's Metal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Doug Van Pelt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/\",\"name\":\"P.O.D. - The Awakening - The Original Heaven's Metal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/POD-The-Awakening-Album-Cover.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-16T17:36:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-08-16T17:40:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/#\/schema\/person\/b155afeb7086c8182b3bb3b435e68c4b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/POD-The-Awakening-Album-Cover.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/POD-The-Awakening-Album-Cover.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":1500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/p-o-d-the-awakening\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"P.O.D. – The Awakening\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/hmmagazine.com\/dvanpelt\/\",\"name\":\"The Original Heaven's Metal\",\"description\":\"Former Editor-in-Chief. 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