Raised in the tough urban environment of San Ysidro, California, this rapcore band (the acronym stands for Payable On Death) was formed in 1992 by Marcos Curiel (b. 9 September 1974, Califronia, USA; guitar) and Wuv (b. Noah Bernardo Jnr., 24 February 1974, USA; drums). Wuv’s cousin Sonny Sandoval (b. Paul Joshua Sandoval, 16 May 1974, San Diego, California, USA; vocals) and Gabe Portillo (bass) joined the duo shortly afterwards, as the band built up a strong regional reputation in the local punk clubs, including the now defunct Soma, playing support slots to visiting bands including Green Day, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Cypress Hill. The band, which by now included bass player Traa (b. Mark Daniels, 30 December 1970, USA), formed the independent label, Rescue Records. Their independent releases, Snuff The Punk (1994), Brown (1996), and Live (1997), developed their highly aggressive fusion of metal, hardcore and hip-hop, although the band’s born-again Christian faith remained central to their music.
The success of Brown, which sold over 30, 000 units, led to the band signing a recording contract with Atlantic Records in August 1998. They recorded their major label debut in Hollywood with producer Howard Benson. The band found the time to issue an independent release, The Warriors EP, before The Fundamental Elements Of Southtown appeared in August 1999. The band’s ferocious live sound and spiritual determination appeared undimmed by their new major label status, and the album deservedly broke into the Billboard 200 shortly after its release. Their second major label recording, 2001’s Satellite, was even more successful. Despite being issued on the fateful date of September 11, the album went on to achieve platinum status within weeks of its release. Eventually racking up triple-platinum status, the album cemented P.O.D.’s status as one of America’s leading alt metal bands and spawned the Top 40 hits ‘Youth Of The Nation’ and ‘Alive’.
To the surprise of the other band members, Curiel then left to start a solo career with the Accident Experiment. He was replaced by Jason Truby, formerly of Arkansas-based thrash metal band Living Sacrifice. The new quartet recorded a track (‘Sleeping Awake’) for the blockbuster movie The Matrix Reloaded, before completing sessions for their new album, Payable On Death. Initial copies of this 2003 release included an exclusive video game, and saw the quartet pursuing a more traditional heavy metal sound. The album was a notable commercial failure as the band’s moment in the spotlight slipped away. P.O.D. recorded one further album for Atlantic, 2006’s Testify, their first major label release not to be produced by Howard Benson, before announcing their departure from the label. At the end of the year, Truby was replaced by the returning Curiel. The band subsequently signed a new contract with Columbia Records.
