I became acP.O.D. fan back when The Fundamental Elements of Southtown came out. I then went back and grabbed Snuff the Punk and Brown before digging into Satellite when it dropped. I missed the self-titled when it came out, but got back into the band upon the release of Testify. I say all this to note that I am not a fairweather P.O.D. fan, but I go back with them a decently long way. Now they have returned with a new release, entitled Veritas. The question on everyone’s mind, then, is how does this release measure up to their storied career?
One of the first things the listener might notice is, unfortunately, negative. That is, the album is sometimes simply mastered too loud. The result is that some of the more forceful moments in the songs are hampered by audible distortion. It’s nowhere near as bad as Metallica’s infamous Death Magnetic sound, but it is still present and distracting, at least on my copy. Whenever this issue is not present, the production sounds fine, with an emphasis on the guitar riffs and Sonny’s vocals. The band all sound comfortable on their instruments and Sonny’s vocals are as good as ever. Song-wise, the album is satisfying. While I have yet to view many of these tracks as absolute classics, I will say that the songwriting is overall quite good and I doubt many P.O.D. fans will find themselves disappointed.
The band kicks off with “Drop.” After a brief sample, the chorus slams in on the listener. Unfortunately, the audible distortion is present here. Also, while the song is high-energy, the chorus tends to the repetitive. Still, this song is a decent opening track.
“I Got That” is best described as classic P.O.D. It’s quite catchy and I particularly enjoy the little guitar riff after the chorus. If “Drop” was a decent, but flawed opener, this track is more effective at getting the listener pumped for the rest of the record.
Aggressive and catchy rapping drives “Afraid to Die.” There is an almost eerie keyboard line and some solid riffing present. The female vocals on the prechorus are compelling and even kind of unsettling in their sound, which works well. The chorus is straightforward, hooky modern rock. Some of the vocal lines on this song take me back to the Southtown/Satellite days, which I appreciate. There is also a forceful bridge that works well.
“Dead Right” is too short at barely over two minutes, but what’s here is very good. Even within that short length the song is dynamic, going from forceful to light in texture. It’s a very memorable tune and sports some brief, but nice guitar work toward the end.
Solid riffing and aggressive rapping give life to “Breaking.” There is also a memorable keyboard riff. The chorus is appealing modern rock.
“Lay Me Down” is a solid ballad, featuring solid guitar work. Sonny gives an impassioned performance on this track.
Rapped verses with a straight-up modern rock chorus continues to be the name of the game on “I Won’t Bow Down.” The only downside of this song is the presence of a bit of audible distortion in the mix.
“This Is My Life” is one of the peppiest songs on the record. There’s both catchy keyboard work here, as well as some solid riffing. The vocals lines are also memorable and hooky. Placing this track here helps the album’s pacing.
I really like the verse melodies combined with the driving riffing that undergirds “Lies We Tell Ourselves.” Overall I would classify this song as modern rock. Sonny sings really well here.
“We Are One (Our Struggle)” sports a classic P.O.D. riffing and rapping combination and a forceful chorus. This song is designed to get you pumped up.
The album concludes with “Feeling Strange.” This song features a great, melodic chorus and some good guitar work. The verses are softer and sport a pleasant melody.
Overall, P.O.D. has given us a solid release with Veritas. While at this point I’d be hard pressed to point out many classics comparable to the best of the band’s late 90s/early 00s era, that might change over time as I found the album to improve with each listen. I don’t think there is any song here that requires the skip button, although “Drop” comes close with its repetitive chorus. At the end of the day, the band sounds good, and any fan should find plenty to like here.
Curtis’ rating: 7.5/10
Order your copy here.
TRACKLIST:
DROP (feat. Randy Blythe) 3:11
I GOT THAT 3:19
AFRAID TO DIE (feat. Tatiana Shmayluk) 3:04
DEAD RIGHT 2:09
BREAKING 4:08
LAY ME DOWN (Roo’s Song) 3:27
I WON’T BOW DOWN 2:41
THIS IS MY LIFE (feat. Cove Reber) 2:58
LIES WE TELL OURSELVES 3:28
WE ARE ONE (OUR STRUGGLE) 2:50
FEELING STRANGE 3:41
