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''Payable on Death'' is the fifth studio album by Christian
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
band P.O.D. It is the group's first album to feature guitarist Jason Truby following the controversial departure of Marcos Curiel, and their last album produced by Howard Benson (until '' Murdered Love'' in 2012). ''Payable on Death'' was released on November 4, 2003, through
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and marks a notable de-emphasizing of the band's distinctive
rap metal Rap metal is a fusion genre that combines hip hop music, hip hop with heavy metal music, heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, Rapping, rapped vocals and sometimes turntablism, turntables. History O ...
style. While a commercial disappointment compared to ''
Satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
'', it still managed to sell over 1,300,000 copies worldwide..


Background and recording

Following the triple-platinum success of ''
Satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
'', P.O.D. enjoyed abundant radio, television, and concert success. However, on February 19, 2003, guitarist Marcos Curiel left the band under controversial circumstances, with contradictory reasons given from both parties. The remaining members expressed remorse in their friend's departure and considered disbanding until Jason Truby, former member of
Christian metal Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal, or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian-themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band-members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by ...
band Living Sacrifice, assisted with the recording of " Sleeping Awake", from ''
The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, L ...
''
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
. The alliance strengthened the band and allowed them to begin recording a new album in spring 2003. Yearning for a fresh start, the group rented a practice space in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
and started jamming with no expectations and no deadlines. Vocalist Sonny Sandoval explained, "We took it back to the roots. We broke down the walls in this abandoned warehouse and set up shop. The doors were always open to our friends and family and people around San Diego to come through. And it was just more of a home vibe." According to bassist
Traa Daniels Mark "Traa" Daniels (born December 30, 1970) is an American musician who is the bass guitarist of the San Diego rock band P.O.D. He has been a member since 1993 and has performed on all of the band's official records. The band has released thir ...
, "It was innocent and it was natural and fun." Within the first month of recording, P.O.D. had an unprecedented 17 songs to work with. The group also decided on the title ''Payable on Death'' both to set the record straight regarding the band's initials and as a symbol of their rebirth. Daniels stated the two rules in writing their fifth album as "to never have any boundaries musically" and "to be as organic as we could possibly be." The latter meant not relying on ProTools and instead using an "old school" approach to recording. Daniels also explained their desire to "just be a rock band. Period. Not a "
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
" band, not any of these other categories and clichés that people have been trying to throw on us." Guitarist Jason Truby expressed satisfaction with his participation in the songwriting process: "Everyone respects each other and they let me be me and also we understand that there are boundaries. You can't redefine P.O.D. and flip the whole page into some new band. It's just P.O.D. and everybody brings something to the pot and puts their ingredient in, which kept it P.O.D. instead of it turning into 'Okay, this is P.O.D. with Jason.D., Spenc
P.O.D. Interview
IGN.com (November 5, 2003). Retrieved on 6–12–11.


Music and lyrics

On ''Payable on Death'', the band chose to head in a more traditional metal sound than the previous album, ''
Satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
''. Traa Daniels noted in May 2003 that the album would deal with the upsetting departure of Curiel but that "a lot of these songs are coming out fun. We're not a downer band. We're not trying to get too deep."Wiederhorn, Jo
P.O.D. Reborn Again, Write 'Beauty Heavy' Songs
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
.com (May 15, 2003). Retrieved on 6–12–11.
The sixth track, "Revolution", and the last track, "Eternal", feature
Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...
. Jason Truby personally requested Keaggy's presence on "Eternal". The track features Truby playing acoustic rhythm alongside Keaggy's electric guitar on lead.


Touring and promotion

''Payable on Death'' did not venture heavily in the way of promotional singles. " Will You" served as its
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
which had an accompanying music video. Thematically, the song showcased a lesser known side of P.O.D. with a bitter love story in place of the band's typical spiritual and urban themes. " Change the World" would be the follow-up, but didn't manage to repeat the same level of success. According to Sandoval,
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
requested P.O.D. for the 2003 Summer Sanitarium Tour, but this conflicted with their recording schedule. They allegedly received many offers to tour at the beginning of 2004 and had hoped to join Metallica in January. P.O.D. played their first show with Jason Truby on August 30, 2003, in
Morrison, Colorado Morrison is a home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 396 at the 2020 census. History This small foothills settlement is named after George Morrison (April 16, 1822 – June 11, 1895), a builde ...
and played various concerts for the remainder of the year, including the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans on
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
. They also played at a
Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...
event in Las Vegas on December 2 and the KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas concert. In somewhat of a role reversal, P.O.D. co-headlined with
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
on their
Meteora The Meteora (; , ) is a rock formation in the regional unit of Trikala, in Thessaly, in northwestern Greece, hosting one of the most prominent complexes of Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery, monasteries, viewed locally as se ...
US tour in early 2004. This marked their first US tour schedule with Truby. Following this, the band headlined their own theater tour of 40 cities beginning in May. Tour mates included
Blindside Blindside, Blind Side or The Blind Side may refer to: Books * ''The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game'', a 2006 book about American football by Michael Lewis Films and television * Blindside (film), ''Blindside'' (film), a 1986 film starring Harvey ...
,
Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, and they have recorded ten studio albums, two extended plays, two l ...
, and New Found Glory. P.O.D. were forced to cancel a May show in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
, after Sandoval fell from the stage and bruised his ribs at a show a few days prior. They continued touring shortly after and performed at the
Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also playe ...
that summer. Two songs from the aforementioned concert would appear on the '' Warriors EP, Volume 2'' the following year. P.O.D.'s tour schedule also included the Street Scene festival in August and ran until late 2004 when they began work on a follow-up album.


Release

A few weeks after the official track listing was announced, the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
was posted online for streaming in September 2003. The first million copies of ''Payable on Death'' included a bonus
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
DVD. This features a 50-minute documentary titled "Inside P.O.D. Culture" as well as an exclusive demo level of the video game ''
Amplitude The amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change in a single period (such as time or spatial period). The amplitude of a non-periodic signal is its magnitude compared with a reference value. There are various definitions of am ...
''. The level allows players to remix an exclusive P.O.D. song titled "Space", using its individual tracks. Also included is a key to a website that allowed fans to download "Space". The additional material prompted the album's retail price to be slightly higher than average CDs and was viewed by ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' writer Chris Nelson as "a testament to just how desperate music companies are to stoke consumer interest" in the face of free Internet music sharing.Nelson, Chri
MEDIA; Trying to Sell CD's by Adding Extras
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' (October 6, 2003). Retrieved on 6–12–11.


DualDisc edition

''Payable on Death'' was included among a group of 15
DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including MJJ Productions Inc., EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group ...
releases that were test marketed in two cities: Boston and Seattle. The
DualDisc The DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including MJJ Productions Inc., EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5.1 Entertainment Group ...
has the standard album on one side, and bonus material on the second side. The DualDisc version was later reissued in a more widely distributed version. The original test market version differs from this common version in both packaging elements and in the design of the back of the inlay card.


Cover art

The
album cover An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released album, studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to: * the printed paperboard covers typically used to package: ** sets of a ...
was designed and painted by Latino artist Daniel Martin Diaz. While Daniel claims he is a devout
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, some Christians felt the cover was negatively
symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...
ic, and in a move previously experienced with '' The Fundamental Elements of Southtown'', 85% of Christian music stores refused to carry the album. In response, Sonny Sandoval stated that he "couldn't care less" and that the album was selling well regardless.Moss, Core
P.O.D. Liked Video Director's Idea So Much, They Sent Him Packing
MTV.com (December 31, 2003). Retrieved on 6–19–11.
Diaz was asked to compose the interior layout as well, which he completed in less than a week. All of these illustrations were taken from other paintings he created. When viewed in the original paintings, the symbolic meanings can be observed; most of the paintings contain Catholic imagery, combined with a fair amount of
mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
.


Reception


Critical response

Reviews of ''Payable on Death'' varied and were very mixed, as
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
gave it a score of 54 out of 100. Truby's guitar style gained much attention and was considered more technical and somewhat heavier than that of Curiel's.
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Matt Collar considered it a "darker album than its predecessor" and found that "Truby unfortunately lacks some of the unexpected spark that Marcos brought to P.O.D. Fans of the band shouldn't find much to complain about here though, even if the overall sound doesn't stand out as distinctly from the nu-metal pack as ''Satellite'' did." Neil Drumming of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave a largely scathing review of the album, stating, "On track after formulaic track, perfunctory verses rush into roaring refrains of compressed guitar arrrgh and charmless didacticism." This negativity was largely mirrored by reviews in ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...
'' and ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''.


Commercial success

Having sold 106,000 copies in its first week, ''Payable on Death'' debuted at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart on the strength of the first single and music video for " Will You". The band filmed a video for the next single, " Change the World", but it was never shipped to
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. However, it did air on the lesser known Fuse TV. The album's relatively poor sales compared to P.O.D.'s mammoth success, ''Satellite'', have been partly attributed to a shakeup at
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, leaving P.O.D. with no label support. Atlantic was sold to a private investor resulting in several thousand people, many of whom close to P.O.D., losing their jobs. According to Soundscan, ''Payable on Death'' sold a little under 500,000 copies as of January 2006. However, it has shipped over 500,000 copies in the U.S.; therefore, ''Payable on Death'' was certified
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. Not until June 2004 did it pass the one-million sales mark. It has sold over 1,300,000 copies worldwide. It is credited as the last commercially successful album released by P.O.D.


Track listing

;Enhanced CD content * Bonus Video footage * Link to download "Space" ; Limited edition bonus disc for PlayStation 2 * "Amplitude Demo" * "Inside P.O.D. Culture" * "Daniel Martin Diaz Featurette"


Personnel

P.O.D. * Sonny Sandoval
lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
* Jason Truby
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
*
Traa Daniels Mark "Traa" Daniels (born December 30, 1970) is an American musician who is the bass guitarist of the San Diego rock band P.O.D. He has been a member since 1993 and has performed on all of the band's official records. The band has released thir ...
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
, backing vocals * Wuv Bernardo
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
, backing vocals Production * Rich Costey – mixing at Cello Studios, Hollywood, California * Mike Plotnikoff –
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, Pro-Tools editing, mixing on "Eternal" at Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, California * Tom Baker – mastering at Precision Mastering, Hollywood, California * Eric Miller – additional engineering * Darren Mora – assistant mix engineering * Paul DeCarli and Dan Adam – Pro-Tools editing Additional musicians *
Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...
– additional guitars on "Revolution" and "Eternal" Artwork * Christina Dittmar – Atlantic Records art director * Daniel Martin Diaz – art direction, design, paintings and sketches * Ellie Leacock (Art Stuff) – additional layout * Charles Peterson – photography


Charts


Certifications


References


External links

* {{Authority control P.O.D. albums 2003 albums Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by Howard Benson