How bizarre, how bizarre as a one-hit wonder Kiwi once said. These days P.O.D. are reduced to supporting Disturbed in the Antipodes, which is not exactly fair, given that their output post-Satellite has consisted of enough quality and versatility to appeal to broad-minded music fans who like their rock doused with rap, reggae/and realism.

Perhaps being tarred with the "nu metal" brush - despite pre-dating that anachronistic genre by years - was their undoing. Maybe it was the lack of support from Atlantic Records as it got subsumed by Warner. Or, it could have been the loss of original guitarist Marcos Curiel, following a public spat, that led to the loss of some intangible musical mojo.

If it was, then a new, sleek rock sound, a different record label and the return of the prodigal guitarist should be a passport to resurrected success, right? Alas, probably not. Which is not to say that When Angels & Serpents Dance is sub-standard - it is eminently listenable to - but that may not be enough in these days of "viral" marketing, iDownload therefore iAm, and (couldn't be further from) reality TV.

Still, if you ever dug P.O.D.'s contribution to The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack back in the day (Sleeping Awake), then the likes of Addicted, Shine With Me, Condescending and When Angels & Serpents Dance should have you salivating with their groove-filled, rocking but not overly threatening vibes and big, brain-implanting choruses.

There's edgier fare too in the shape of Kaliforn-Eye-A, a funky hardcore blast frome the past featuring Suicidal Tendencies / Infectious Grooves frontman Mike Muir, and God Forbid, where Helmet's Page Hamilton gives it some welly on the guitar riff-o-meter.

If P.O.D.'s seventh album has a downer, then to these ears it is the addition of chilled-out commercial tracks such as It Can't Be Rain Every Day, This Ain't No Ordinary Love Song and Rise Against that are anodyne and ennui-inducing. Even, the reggae-tinged I'll Be Ready featuring The Marley Sisters is forgettable, although Tell Me Why is, in contrast, pretty stunning - a memorable pop song that may just be the best anti-war plea you'll hear this year: "I'm living this life / I'm given these lies / And how can I die for the name of what you think is right? / No more, Oh Lord, because how do we know?"

2008 then. The banks are borrowing money from the taxpayer like it is going to run out. Wars rage in Iraq and Afghanistan that senior army men have just admitted "we won't win". Peaches Geldof is 19 years old and married. And P.O.D.? Well, they may no longer be selling millions of albums, but for their trade of producing quality rock music, it's business as usual as well.

Share ('')

end of year feature musicOMH's 50 Best Albums Of 2009 From the nearly 700 albums we reviewed this year, which did our writers love the most? Introduction 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 20-11 | 10-4 | 1-3