P.O.D. - Murdered Love

The rap metal CCM act known as P.O.D. has once again released a new album and considering how pathetic their last album of new material was this was not going to be an easy review. I liked the band when they first broke into mainstream airplay with "Boom", "Youth Of The Nation" and "Alive" because they had hooks and solid grooves. The bands almost instant slide down the garbage shoot was surprising and I pretty much disliked everything I heard from the group since that initial introduction. Their new release Murdered Love is a better record than its predecessor for sure and even one enjoyable song would make that difference.

The grinding hip-hop metallic crush of the opening cut "Eyez" is a decent song but then the title track is a giant piss. There is that poorly constructed Rage Against The Machine influenced mediocre crap. The band follows it with a better song then a more commercial song "Lost In Forever" which is the first single released from the album. The song is bit of a throwback to their breakthrough stuff but not as good of course. I'm pleasantly surprised by "West Coast Rock Steady" that mixes Beastie, Limp and a little of the California sound of Smash Mouth into their sound and it is a successful mix at that.

The band do the unexpected and write a very good sunny ballad called "Beautiful" that I am shocked to find that I really like. I mean I'm impressed considering I had not a thought that they would do a song like this and that I'd completely enjoy it as much as I do. "Beautiful" will be added to my I-Pod and that says a lot considering I am very picky with the music I do allow precious space on said I-Pod. After some more mediocre music the reggae tinged "Panic & Run" appears and I think I threw up a little but I continued listening and this aggressive punky chorus appears and disappears into an screamo shrilling breakdown and this song is a total mess clearly nobody knew what the hell they were looking to achieve on this track. It's like they took three separate ideas and just played them together calling it a song.

In the end this album, yes is an improvement over but even with a total nod to Suicidal Tendencies at certain times this band still don't put together hip-hop, skate rock, hardcore and metal in a package that makes me want to pay attention for more than a fleeting second. I will say thanks for one truly memorable track and a bunch of either mediocre or terrible filler but no thanks.