P.O.D.

Item: Satellite
Author: Vik Bansal

Satellite

(2002)

Reviewed by Vik Bansal

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Label Atlantic RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2002

alternative metal nu metal rap metal reggae

When "the boys from the South(town)", P.O.D., released their second major label album on September 11, 2001 (yes, really), few could have predicted that over the next year it would make them the best-selling artists on Atlantic Records. I mean, exactly when did the world have its good taste transplant? A year on, and the people at Atlantic have seen fit to prevent anyone from having an excuse for not owning at least one version of Satellite by reissuing it with three extra tracks and a bonus DVD. Still not convinced you should have it? Let's recap then shall we?

Satellite is the album of 2001 - a no-holds barred outpouring of creativity that melts rock, reggae, rap and heavy metal into a pot and cranks up the quality temperature control. Given that every track is a bona fide classic, it is almost superfluous to give highlights. Nevertheless, moments of genius that manage to poke their heads out above all the other moments of genius include: the simply huge adrenaline rush that accompanies the machine-gun metal stomp of "Set It Off"; the gargantuan, arena-sized anthems that are "Alive" and "Satellite"; the beautiful, haunting guitar lines that underpin "Youth of the Nation"; the magical transition from crunching rock to violin and cello in the intro to "Anything Right"; the way "Without Jah, Nothin'" manages to switch from an onslaught of hardcore punk to all-out reggae and still sound completely organic; and the gentle prayers of "Some people call you Father, maybe you could set me free" which provide poignant respite amongst the otherwise manic metal mayhem of "Portrait".

If you are one of the five million people worldwide who has already bought "Satellite", you may be tempted to also purchase the reissue. There are three bonus tracks: a semi-acoustic version of "Alive" and remixes of "Youth of the Nation" and "Boom." Of these, it is The Crystal Method's "Boom" remix that is easily the most essential - a smoking amalgam of rock and dance beats that adds more weight to the notion that The Crystal Method are the rightful heirs to the crowns of The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy. Of course, these bonus tracks alone would not be enough to justify shelling out for "Satellite" again. The bonus DVD, on the other hand, is an unquestionably worthy addition. It contains four live tracks - "Set It Off," "Without Jah, Nothin'," "Youth of the Nation," and "Outkast" - all recorded in a tiny, sweaty German club back when P.O.D. were just starting to break through in Europe at the start of 2002. Anyone who has seen P.O.D. live will instantly connect with the energy and consummate musicianship displayed on the footage while anyone who has not seen P.O.D. live will want to do so after seeing it. "Outkast", in particular, is a revelation live, as it ups the ferocity level fivefold from the original version on 1999's Fundamental Elements... opus.

The final part of the DVD is called Into the Satellite (Behind the Scenes) and features various snippets of interviews with each of the band members. What comes across more than anything is their respect for each other, as friends, musicians, and family (in the case of singer Sonny and drummer Wuv), and the fact that, at the heart of it all, they are music fans like the rest of us. This latter point is shown best with Marcos' obvious glee when talking about the fact that legends Eek-A-Mouse and H.R. from Bad Brains both provided guest vocals on Satellite. Sonny signs off with the following comment about the album: "All of us put a lot of heart into this album... It is the most passionate and honest album we've made in ten years... We're very proud of it..." Having discovered Satellite all over again, I can but nod in agreement and say, "And so you should be, and so you should be."

5 tocks