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Payable on Death and Testify (2003–2006)

On February 19, 2003, guitarist Curiel left the band due to his side project, The Accident Experiment, and "spiritual differences." However, Curiel claimed that he was actually kicked out of the band. Curiel was replaced by Jason Truby, former member of Christian metal band Living Sacrifice, and assisted with the recording of "Sleeping Awake", from The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack. In an interview with Yahoo! Music, Sandoval stated that Truby is the reason why the group is still together. On November 4, 2003, P.O.D. released their fifth studio album, Payable on Death, which saw the group shift from their well-known rapcore sound to a darker, more melodic metal sound. The album was hit with controversy due to its "occult" cover, which led as many as 85% of Christian bookstores across the United States to ban the album. With the help of the album's hit single "Will You" and "Change the World", it went on to sell over 520,000 copies and was certified Gold.

P.O.D.'s sixth studio album, Testify, was slated for a December 2005 release, but was pushed back to January 24, 2006. On November 15, 2005, P.O.D. released The Warriors EP, Volume 2, which featured demos from the upcoming album, to help build up the fans' anticipation for the pending January release. The album's first single, "Goodbye for Now" (with a vocal tag by a then-unknown Katy Perry) went on to become a No. 1 video on MTV's TRL; along with having a solid radio presence, it also became the band's unprecedented 4th number one video on Total Request Live. The second single off the album, "Lights Out" was a minor hit, but was featured as the official theme song to WWE's Survivor Series 2005. In another contribution to WWE, they performed fellow San Diego native Rey Mysterio's theme song "Booyaka 619" at WrestleMania 22. To promote their latest album, P.O.D. went on a nationwide tour called the "Warriors Tour 2: Guilty by Association", which began in April, and included the bands Pillar, The Chariot and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster.

On August 11, 2006, P.O.D. announced in their online newsletter that they had left Atlantic Records.

On September 16, 2006, P.O.D. announced that they had teamed up with Rhino Records to release a greatest hits record simply titled, Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years, which was released on November 21, 2006. They shot a music video for their single "Going In Blind", one of the two new songs they included in the tenth album, and they had meetings with various record labels to begin working on new material for an album they hoped to release in mid-2007.

Murdered Love (2010–2013)

The band headlined the first annual Spring Jam Fest in May 2011. They appeared on the Rock of Allegiance tour later that summer. On July 25, 2011, the band released a demo of the song "On Fire" as a free download on their official website.

In October 2011, P.O.D. announced a multi-album artist deal with Razor & Tie. On April 5, 2012, the song "Eyez" became a free download on the band's website for a limited time. Shortly after, an article on their website stated that "Lost in Forever" would be the first single from the new album, entitled Murdered Love.

Murdered Love was originally going to be released in June 2012, but was instead pushed back to July 10. The album was produced by Howard Benson, who also produced Satellite and The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. It was described by Curiel as "Back to our roots. A little bit of hip hop, a little bit of punk rock, or reggae". The album caused controversy concerning its eleventh track, "I Am", which uses the word "fuck" (albeit backmasked). Sandoval said he struggled with the idea of releasing the song, but ultimately decided it could help spread a message of hope: "I don't write music for Christians. I don't write music for people that I believe are saved and going to heaven. [...] Ultimately we're trying to reach people fed up with religion that are sick and tired of it, and people that are in the real world that really are lost and confused." The band went on tour with Shinedown and Three Days Grace as an opening act.

In a 2012 interview with Broken Records Magazine, Sandoval said that the band had to get their lives back in order and take care of personal needs before getting back into music, but was extremely happy about the response the band was getting from fans.

In September 2013, the band was featured in an NME article titled "28 Nu-Metal Era Bands You Probably Forgot All About". One month later on October 22, 2013, P.O.D. released a deluxe edition of Murdered Love. The album contains the original songs, slightly remixed, along with bonus tracks "Find a Way", "Burn It Down", acoustic versions of "Beautiful" and "West Coast Rock Steady", a remixed version of "On Fire", and music videos for "Murdered Love", "Beautiful", "Higher", and "Lost In Forever". Multiple behind the scenes videos were also on the track list.

SoCal Sessions, Circles, and Wuv Bernardo's hiatus (2014–2024)

In mid-2014, P.O.D. announced an acoustic album to be released toward the end of the year. The album was crowd-funded on the website PledgeMusic. On October 20, 2014, P.O.D. announced a new record deal with T-Boy Records along with a new acoustic album. SoCal Sessions was released on November 17, 2014, and contained songs such as "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation".

The band followed that release with another studio album, The Awakening, released on August 21, 2015, which was produced by Howard Benson, with guest vocalists such as Maria Brink of In This Moment and Lou Koller of Sick of It All.

On May 17, 2016, the band announced that they would be taking part in the Make America Rock Again super tour throughout the summer and fall 2016. The tour featured a number of artists who had success throughout the 2000s.

On August 18, 2017, the band released a new song, "Soundboy Killa", and embarked on a fall tour promoting the song.

In January 2018, it was announced that the band had signed a new record deal with Mascot Records. They toured alongside Alien Ant Farm, Lit, and Buckcherry on the "Gen-X Tour" in 2018. Their tenth studio album, Circles, was released on November 16, 2018.

In 2021, the band embarked on a major tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Satellite with From Ashes to New and All Good Things, starting in Sturgis, South Dakota at Buffalo Chip on August 14, 2021, and ending on October 7, 2021, at the House of Blues in San Diego, California. During the European leg of the tour, drummer Wuv Bernardo dropped out to "take care of business at home", and ceased touring and appearing in public with the band. To fill his absence, the band recruited former Suicide Silence drummer Alex Lopez as touring member for subsequent tours.

In August 2022 the band performed two sets on the same day at Seaworld. On October 14, 2022, the band reissued When Angels & Serpents Dance, having the album remixed and remastered as well as featuring three bonus songs, one of which, "Don't Fake It", had appeared previously as an iTunes exclusive in 2008.

Veritas and upcoming 12th studio album (2024–present)

P.O.D. released Veritas, their first studio album in six years and the first album without Bernardo, on May 3, 2024. In an interview with United Rock Nations, Sandoval stated that Bernardo is "not out of the band", but rather is taking personal space due to tension in the band and "will always be the drummer of P.O.D."; Bernardo confirmed in an interview that he has taken a hiatus, stating that "Nothing is on bad terms, it's more we're having space right now. Being on tour for thirty years starts to take a toll on anybody in different ways...For me it was obvious that it was that time for me to take a break from the traveling and doing the whole circus over and over again. I don't think I was built to do it any longer at the time...Love the guys, always gonna love the band. I started the band in my garage. It's a part of my life, it's a part of my family, it's a part of all the love that I got. I'm always gonna be center, right there with the guys, knowing what's going on and everything like that. Whenever God wants me to come back, then that's what's up for me. That's where I'm at right now."

In February 2024, the band announced the I Got That Tour supporting Veritas's release, which ran from April 26 to June 2 and was headlined by Bad Wolves, Norma Jean and Blind Channel.

On February 13, 2025, a version of "I Won't Bow Down" featuring A.N.I.M.A.L. was released.

On September 25, 2025, P.O.D. released a cover of "Don't Let Me Down" by The Beatles, ahead of their tour as an opening act for Seether and Daughtry through October and November 2025. The band also announced a special South American tour in December to finish out the year, with support from Demon Hunter and Living Sacrifice.

On January 7, 2026, Snsmix posted an interview with Sandoval discussing an upcoming album, with Sandoval stating: "We got a handful of songs in while we were on the road because we knew we were trying to hit the studio in February. We're on a kind of a crunch deadline. So we’ve got to get it in where we can." He went on to talk about Curiel experimenting with a 7-string guitar for the new songs, saying that "This is the first time that Marcos is rocking a seven-string. So we’re trying to go a little deeper — a little heavier. Not like metal-loud heavy, but just that deep heavy. We’re grooving in a really cool place."

On April 13, 2026, the band posted promotional pictures showing they officially started tracking their 12th studio album with producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Circa Survive), with sessions underway in Pennsylvania, the first time the band has ever recorded outside of California. In May 2026, the band confirmed the album was completed, with the first single to release in August.

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History

Early years (1991–1993)

Snuff the Punk and Brown (1994–1998)

The Fundamental Elements of Southtown and Satellite (1999–2002)

Payable on Death and Testify (2003–2006)

When Angels & Serpents Dance (2007–2009)

Murdered Love (2010–2013)

SoCal Sessions, Circles, and Wuv Bernardo's hiatus (2014–2024)

Veritas and upcoming 12th studio album (2024–present)

Musical style and influences

Band members

Discography

Awards

P.O.D. across IJR

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