P.O.D. is back with what some critics are calling the record it was born to make. And while the band’s INO debut, When Angels and Serpents Dance, marks the return of original guitarist Marcos Curiel, there’s a lot more behind the brand-new tunes.

Sonny Sandoval knows that nobody wants to listen to rock stars complain about their life. After 16 years as the vocalist/frontman with San Diego’s premier alternative rock/hardcore band P.O.D.—the logical musical descendents of Bad Brain’s mix of aggressive hard rock, reggae and hip-hop—Sonny knows he’s got it pretty good. Calling in from Oklahoma City, where the band is doing a radio promo tour and playing its songs on acoustic guitars, he’s aware that no matter how hard his lot feels on a given day, no matter the pressures, he’s still got it good.

Yet, each station brings its own struggles, because no matter where you are standing, life can be hard. Recently, Sonny lost his voice, from daily flights followed by evening shows. The band’s gig, celebrating the release of When Angels & Serpents Dance (INO/Columbia), on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno had to be postponed. But that sure beats standing in the unemployment line.

Still, as P.O.D. (payable on death) was wrapping up its newest disc, remarkable for the return of original guitarist Marcos Curiel, Sonny admits to wanting to throw in the towel. “At first it felt like a reunion,” says Sonny. “We hung out a long time, just being friends and brothers first, and when we went into a practice studio to start writing—it was exciting.

“But when we moved to L.A. and got into the recording process, things started to happen, everyday things that happen in life and business that just get in the way. I can honestly say that, for me, this was one of the toughest years, just on a personal level, and in my own spiritual walk with the Lord. Then we had a baby, so you’re faced with a lot of things that you have to answer to, and the record got pushed back. After a while it started to feel like a job.

“When we started out, we said if this is not fun anymore, if it becomes a job, I don’t want to do it. There were days, when I was alone in L.A. cutting vocals, when I just wanted to quit and go home to be with my family. But looking back, listening to the whole record, I can see how God was with me as I went through it. I’m really proud of it. I can hear the songs, and I can look back and see the hand that God had in all of this.”

But for fans that go back to the band’s early Rescue Records’ releases and its breakout Atlantic debut, ‘99’s Fundamental Elements of Southtown, the big news behind Dance is the return of Marcos. Put most succinctly, press releases suggested that Curiel left to pursue side project The Accident Experiment and reported unspecified “spiritual differences.” A very public feud transpired, but in the end, the reconciliation was as simple, Sonny says, as “a guy reaching out to his friends.