P.O.D., an abbreviation for Payable on Death, formed in 1992 in San Diego, California, when childhood friends Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo, who had been jamming together as a duo without a vocalist, brought in Bernardo's cousin Sonny Sandoval to front the band. P.O.D. is an American Christian nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. Bassist Traa Daniels rounded out the classic lineup soon after, joining in 1994 when they needed a bassist for a concert, to replace Gabe Portillo, who appeared in the original 1992/93 demo tape. In their early years the band self-released material on the independent Christian label Rescue Records, releasing two albums under the label between 1994 and 1997, Snuff the Punk and Brown, building a grassroots following through relentless touring before the mainstream ever took notice.
The band's breakthrough arrived with their major label debut, released after in 1998, they signed with Atlantic Records, which brought the mass-media coverage that self-production could not. Their third album and major-label debut, 1999's The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, spawned the hits "Southtown" and "Rock the Party (Off the Hook)," both of which gained heavy rotation on MTV and helped take the album platinum. That success was only a prelude to their true commercial peak, 2001's Satellite, released on the fateful date of September 11, 2001. Despite the tragic timing, that platinum album primed the pump for an even more significant commercial breakthrough two years later with Satellite, which debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell more than seven million copies worldwide, including three million in the U.S., generating four singles: the title track, "Alive," "Youth Of The Nation," and "Boom." The album's singles became inescapable anthems of the era, and the songs later picked up Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2002 and 2003, respectively. The years that followed brought both lineup upheaval and continued chart presence. In 2003, founding guitarist Marcos Curiel departed the band, and Curiel was replaced by Jason Truby, former member of Christian thrash/death metal band Living Sacrifice. With Truby aboard, the band released Payable on Death that same year, an album that hit number one on the Christian Albums chart. Curiel eventually returned to the fold, and the band continued releasing records through the 2000s and 2010s, including Testify, When Angels & Serpents Dance, Murdered Love, The Awakening, and Circles, all while selling over 12 million records worldwide and receiving three Grammy Award nominations, contributing to multiple film soundtracks, and touring internationally. The band also toured alongside major acts of the era, having joined Ozzfest 2000 and shared dates with Crazy Town and Staind for the MTV Campus Invasion tour. P.O.D. remains active today, continuing to record and tour more than three decades after forming. Their eleventh studio album, Veritas, was released on May 3, 2024, via Mascot Records, marking the first album by the band not to feature drummer Wuv Bernardo after he went on hiatus in 2021. The band has kept up an active touring schedule in support of that record, and as of late 2025 they were reportedly writing and recording material for the follow-up to their 2024 album 'Veritas,' with a new album expected in 2026. Decades after helping define the nu metal and Christian rock crossover sound, P.O.D. remains a respected touring act, still drawing loyal audiences who grew up on "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation."
For this archive, P.O.D. holds a modest but meaningful place among the bands Wayne Dennon documented through his lens. Wayne photographed the band at one show in 2004, right in the era when new guitarist Jason Truby had joined the fold and the band was touring behind Payable on Death, and those images remain part of this collection today. The 23 photographs preserved here have resonated with visitors over the years, having been viewed 17,790 times, a testament to the enduring fanbase this San Diego band built and to Wayne's eye for capturing a band at a pivotal, transitional moment in their long career.
