Rating:  -
Having heard P.O.D.'s singles "Alive", "Boom", and "Youth of the Nation", and being a Christian believer myself, I had always wanted to buy this album and listen to it to really dig deeper into this band's message. I bought this album and was really looking forward to a great listening experience. This album made me lower my expectations of P.O.D. and its message.
I am not writing this review with the intent of bashing P.O.D., their fans, or this type of metal (for I am a fan of this type of music). I can understand why this album hit triple platinum and boasted the three big singles mentioned above. This band has big, surging alt-metal hooks and a pounding rhythm section that plays screaming heavy metal combined with rapping, with a little divergence into more melodic singing and occasionally some electronica.
The album's first problem is its incredibly front-loaded tracklist. The three singles are tracks 2, 3, and 4, which could potentially work out, but on a fifteen-track, fifty-three-minute album, there is too much unfamiliar territory to delve into after the fifteen-minute mark. I personally find it very nice when I can listen to an album that has music I've never heard before, but has a single every few tracks to keep me in familiar musical territory and allow me to feel comfortable listening to it. On SATELLITE, there's too much imbalance in that respect.
The second problem is the progression of music on the album. The band tries to experiment with some unique sounds, and sometimes it works, but once the album hits the middle section, the choruses all begin to sound similar. Lead singer Sonny is the most to blame here; he for whatever reason decided to put in choruses where all he does is scream one line anywhere from four to eight times in repetition, regardless of the song's tempo or mood. He does this on "The Messenjah" (I AM THE MESSENJAH! x4), "Anything Right" (I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT! x4), "Ghetto" (THE WORLD IS A GHETTO! x4), and "Masterpiece Conspiracy" (IT'S A MASTERPIECE CONSPIRACY! x4). All of these tracks fall in the middle of the album, which creates a feeling of sameness that really bears down hard upon the listener. "Ghetto" nearly works, with its slow bass and strings combined with shimmering guitar, but is ruined by its aforementioned chorus.
The final problem with this album is, oddly enough, a contradiction of the second problem: The album becomes too indulgent to the point where the feel of the album is one of severe misdirection. This is especially evident on the second half of the album, where tracks like the unneccessary instrumental "Guitarras de Amor" (essentially a copy of the much more interesting "Celestial"), the suddenly-thrash-then-suddenly-reggae "Without Jah, Nothin' (which sounds like a bunch of random ideas thrown together in a sloppy jumble), and the closer "Portrait", which alternates from brutal thrash verses then grinds to an uncomfortable halt with a slow, chanted chorus.
This album has some strong tracks, like the opener "Set it Off", the three singles, the prayerful title track, the funktastic rhythmic tune "Ridiculous", and the smooth acoustic ballad "Thinking About Forever" (which is a great religious track about following God throughout the changes in one's life). Overall, however, the album's frontloaded progression, the obvious lack of lyrical ideas on Sonny's part in the middle section, and the failed attempts to show experimentation that give the album a misguided, undirected feel, this album is definitely not spectacular. Three stars for the tracks that work, that make this album bearable but not hugely pleasant.
Rating:  -
P.O.D.- Satellite
P.O.D. is often regarded as "the christian band that is actually good." There are a lot of good christian bands out there, but P.O.D. is right there at the top. They do not constant ram lyrics about God down your throat like other bands. However, you will get good moralistic lyrics about life with the occasional reference to God in it.
The songs are generally rock. There is some reggae thrown in here and there. There is is a huge emphasis on the drums for this band. This band doesn't always come off as innovative, but their music highly enjoyable. There is a good mix of sounds on this album as well. The slow, deep sounds mix well with the fast songs. Song songs are feature song screaming, while others feature P.O.D.'s lead singing quietly singing a melody about how "the world is a ghetto".
"I am the messenger"
This is a great album if you are looking to slowly teach children about God. Good, modern music that will carry the message in it to "the youth of the nation." Great songs like "Satellite" and "Boom" will keep you listening to this one for a long time.
You may be asking yourself, what if I am not a Christian? This is still great music. The lyrics are nice, and often have nothing to do with God. They are more about life and events that happen in it. "Youth of the Nation" is about a school shooting. Even a non-christian will find themselves singing along with that song. This CD is great for everyone.
Rating: -
Satellite is a well-executed alternative metal wonder. It's loaded with loud, hard rock songs that can match anything on the radio today (Set It Off, Boom, Satellite, The Messenjah, etc.), and it also has quieter songs that are just as effective (Youth of the Nation, Thinking About Forever, Ghetto). P.O.D. are of course going to receive criticism for being Christian rock and not being "true" metal, but they make great music regardless. This truly is the sound of a hard-working band at their peak.
Rating:  -
This was another band I wanted one song from, and fell in love with it's powerful message to our youth! They are all strong men of God, who have a heart for our kids!!! Not to mention some kicking sounds!
Rating: -
This cd really stands out as their best album. Great rap-rock with good lyrics is a very rare find, but this one has both. The rap and metal songs are better than their reggae songs, but it all blends together well when you listen to the whole cd.
|
