P.O.D. - Testify

Published Monday 9th January 2006
P.O.D. - Testify
P.O.D. - Testify

STYLE: Hard Music
RATING 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 14743-10572
LABEL: Atlantic 075678385728
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RELEASE DATE: 2006-01-23
RRP: £14.99

Reviewed by Greg Sammons

First up I must confess I was a little disappointed by P.O.D.'s last effort, so with this being a rather natural follow on from their last album I feared I was building myself up for another anti-climax. But then it was not the quality of music I had issues with, but the style - which is far too subjective. So once I put that aside I was able to enjoy 'Testify' much more than I thought I would. It doesn't hit home in the metal stakes like 'Satellite' and 'Fundamental Elements' did but that was to be expected, this band have always had the ability to shift away from being stuck in a genre rut. You could argue to some extent that the band are mellowing with age, but to a much larger extent you could argue that with age the band are capable of crafting ever more intricate and beautiful pieces of music. My natural thought when taking on Jason Truby as the successor to Marcos Curiel prior to their last album was that this band was gonna get harder and heavier, yet the very reverse seems to have happened - focussing ever more on melodic moments. The lead single "Goodbye For Now" aptly sums up the mood of the majority of the album. The song following on from that and the opener prove to be the other highlights for me personally (unsurprisingly they contain some of the heavier moments too) although do not best demonstrate the craft and intricacy that went into some of the other tunes. Keep an open mind and you should enjoy this well produced album but if you're still hungering for another classic status 'Satellite' you will be disappointed.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Reader Comments

Posted by paul in new zealand @ 21:38 on Aug 28 2006

ALL tha tribal souljahs unite,
P.O.D IS SO MY FAVE BAND
i love you guys NEVER brake up
i reckon i love them so much is there love for JAH {JESUS} a lot of people think there rasta but there not Jah is a hebrew word for jehovah
BLESS YA DAWGS




Posted by vishesh in india @ 12:15 on May 27 2006

p.o.d is it!!!!!! greg i know they have shifted to a melodic approach but hey their music is as heavy as ever, i mean just check out "sounds like war"that song is just what p.o.d is. but the best thing i like about p.o.d is their boldness of singing THE TRUTH among secular artists.they tour with bands like Korn,limp bizkit etc in front of secular fans but still sing what they know is true



Posted by Maureen Longstaff in Belfast @ 10:12 on May 2 2006

My son (not saved) was speaking of this group P.O.D. yesterday, and wanting to get their albums and thank you Shilpa for having one of MY questions answered.



Posted by Mel in Essex, UK @ 20:34 on Feb 27 2006

Hey Shilpa,

Yeah, they're a Christian band. Their name stands for Payable on Death - relating to Jesus' sacrifice for our sins.



Posted by shilpa @ 05:57 on Jan 30 2006

hey....i was just wondering ....is P.O.D a christian band????



Posted by S.Stewart in Brooklyn,NY @ 11:58 on Jan 25 2006

yeah greg great review, i got this album boot-leg about a week before it came out and i jus happend to think it was awsome, great message in the music........also this album is abreath of fresh air with all this teenie rock going round. i liked this cd si much i bought both this album and yellow card. 4/5 mic stands



Posted by Francine in USA @ 21:41 on Jan 10 2006

That cleared it up totally for me. I've never read a review where someone differentiated between their tastes and thinking objectively on the art at hand. That's very cool of you!



Posted by Greg Sammons in Stoke on Trent @ 16:32 on Jan 10 2006

Hi Francine,
When I was talking about being subjective, i meant that my personal taste in music was affecting my opinion of a talented band - and that I wanted to avoid being so subjective and instead be more objective.
However, judging by your question I may have misinterpretted it. So please do get in contact with me if you want to clarify anything further.



Posted by Francine in USA @ 23:07 on Jan 9 2006

Thanks for a good review. Did you mean subjectively in lyrics?



The opinions expressed in the Reader Comments are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms.

Add your comment

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.