P.O.D. ‘Circles’ Review

P.O.D.
Circles
(Mascot Records)

The band that defined the heavy side of MTV’s Total Request Live in its heyday is back for its first record in three years and ready to party like it’s 1999. That’s not to say the group comprised of front man Sonny Sandoval, guitarist Marcos Curiel, bassist Traa Daniels and drummer Wuv Bernardo isn’t in touch with today’s trends, but Circles could be considered an authentic, full-circle affair built on P.O.D.’s foundation of hard rock with shades of metal and reggae.

Opener “Rockin’ With The Best” may very well echo shades of those sentiments when Sandoval bellows, “As good as it gets from past to present tense/MP3s on iPhones to tapes in cassette decks/from what’s hot now to what’s next/no special effects.” From there, it’s a fists-in-the-air affair filled with crunching guitars, chest-rattling drums and captivating grooves, along with both lighter-hearted lyrics and several glimpses of faith-derived hope for a fractured world.

–Andy Argyrakis