“We got that underground, original, nothing to prove,” says Sonny Sandoval on the song I GOT THAT, clearly unaware of what band he’s in. For a start, P.O.D. have sold about 12 million albums worldwide, with 2001’s Satellite being triple-platinum—that ain’t ‘underground’ by anyone’s metric. Next, ‘original’ would imply that there’s more to them right now than batting around the dregs of nu-metal from over two decades ago. And given how profoundly mediocre they’ve been for a long old time, by sticking around, they’ve absolutely got something to prove.
But what other option is there for them than to press on? P.O.D.’s era of nu-metal isn’t invariably in the nostalgia window, and the bands from it who are have wisely kept it to the stage, for the most part. P.O.D., meanwhile, have never stopped trying to get ahead, unable to sufficiently grow their sound with the times. They’re also not among the ubiquitous genre A-listers for whom solely bankrolling their legacy is viable, meaning they’re stuck in an inflexible loop of underwhelming that paints them as rather lame these days, overall. Not a good outcome for a band who already have a Christian rock angle to contend with, is it?
Veritas, then, most reads as brandishing the same implacable ignorance to its creators’ current state as that previous quote might have you believe. It’s a smidge better than 2018’s Circles, but if P.O.D. sincerely believe they can just carry on this way and get out unscathed, maybe some divine intervention needs to tell them otherwise. They feel way too comfortable sticking with where they are, on another album of commercialised rap-metal paying no mind to advancement. You’d expect at least a few hip-hop beats on something like this to feign modernity; hell, the singular one on FEELING STRANGE is actually alright, combined with bass rumbles and an oilier guitar for something approaching an atmosphere. That’s it, though. There’s no more to offer because this is a P.O.D. album, afraid to break out of stagnation regardless of how provisional the measures are.
Clearly P.O.D. have a high view of themselves that’s not to be upstaged, such is the marginalised presence of objectively better guest performers on here. Obviously Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe would’ve run laps around Sandoval on DROP had he been allowed to significantly scream or perform (or develop any sort of presence whatsoever…). Similarly, Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmayluk is credited on AFRAID TO DIE, but is it worth it when she’s used to groan some pre-chorus lines and nothing else? Like, come on—there’s rarely a time when P.O.D. have potential, and they go and squander it as nakedly as this! It’s not like Sandoval has talent to burn or anything, when it’s concentrated on some admittedly charismatic delivery on I GOT THAT and BREAKING. Otherwise, he’s still a bad singer on LIES WE TELL OURSELVES, without even the inkling of flagrance or bravado to keep you invested. There’s a reason that Fred Durst continues to enjoy some vestige of celebrity these days, and Sandoval definitely doesn’t.
Of course, the likelihood is that P.O.D. would crave something more ‘important’ than that, such is the life of a faith-based act that still have mainstream aspirations to meet. To be clear, they’re far, far from the worst of them, but the pattern still tracks. You’ve got Veritas as a title, named for the Roman virtue of truthfulness, and songs about living a good life and making the most of what you’ve got. Naturally it’s as broad as the day is long, partially for commerciality purposes, and partially because that’s all P.O.D. are equipped for. They aren’t interesting as songwriters, certainly not for material designed as some rousing positivity gospel like on the pile-up of obvious tropes that is THIS IS MY LIFE. The same flaccid impact is mapped onto unengaged ‘revolution’ on WE ARE ONE (OUR STRUGGLE), or this mystifying excuse for songwriting serving as the album’s opening statement on DROP— “Don’t ever play with fire / ‘Cause you might get burned / And if you play with fire / You’re gonna get burned”. Couldn’t have stretched for a few more minutes’ writing time, boys?
Speaking of DROP and being flaccid, it’s also home to one of Veritas’ most harebrained musical ideas that you wonder why even a late-stage P.O.D. would settle for. Quite a choice to have it feature on the drop, too, given the name of the track, but apparently a build that sputtering out to sound like a swift smack to a cardboard box is just too unique (?) to pass up on. At least there’s nowhere to go but up, even if the production on Veritas can charitably be described as ‘inconsistent’. The radio-rock path is no doubt familiar to P.O.D., as are the usual trappings of its modern incarnation, from the smoothed edges, the lack of weight and body, and the production that sheers away most (if not all) texture. The quicker tempo of THIS IS MY LIFE spotlights how flat and declawed its guitars are, as does approaching a chug on AFRIAD TO DIE and DEAD RIGHT that stalls out before it even lands.
Elsewhere, though, there are notable upticks that are almost uncharacteristically good. Not to oversell the strength of a bloody P.O.D. album in 2024, but I GOT THAT and BREAKING have the density and downtuned rumble to convincingly seem okay. As scarce as these moments are, they are worth something, if only for proof that P.O.D. have a little bit to offer. They might even elevate the album somewhat, albeit as a distraction from its more gaping flaws. They aren’t easy to just paper over—the fact that an audible bassline is a luxury remains fairly egregious—but once again, what other option is there? P.O.D.’s weaknesses are systemic at this point, so take whatever win you can get.
It’s the fact that, despite all of that, Veritas is still better than their last that’s the most galling. Obviously the stock of P.O.D. has plummeted the further we get from their initial impact zone, but they’re dire straits indeed when scrambling for morsels of good determines overall levels of strength. The truth is that Veritas is the least interesting kind of middling album. P.O.D. get part of the way towards what they’re aiming for, but there’s not enough going on with them to clear the rest, and the aforementioned loop they find themselves stuck in closes once again. Even dyed-in-the-wool superfans should want more than this; even if the old material hasn’t aged too gracefully, that’s not carte blanche to not even strive for better. It’s ultimately where their snubs for Nu-Metal Hall Of Famers stem from—if you can’t some enjoyment from most of this, ironic or otherwise, then what’s even the point?
For fans of: Ill Niño, Adema, Sevendust
‘Veritas’ by P.O.D. is released on 3rd May on Mascot Label Group.
Words by Luke Nuttall
