When Angels & Serpents Dance Album Review

By Debbie Cheung
Thu, Jul 03, 2008 @ 12:47 PM PST

P.O.D.

When Angels & Serpents Dance Album Cover

When Angels & Serpents Dance Album Cover

I can�t say that I am a hardcore P.O.D. fan, or even hardcore. As a result, I feel under qualified to review their latest album, �When Angels & Serpents Dance,� which hit stores April 8th. However, I do know what I like, but I also wanted to do some homework before sharing my thoughts. I use to think that P.O.D. was too heavy metal for me, so I didn�t venture out to that territory, and I didn�t want to ride the P.O.D. wave when they made their way on to radio and television stations. I know, I�m a music snob. Regardless, I found their radio hits catchy and therefore decided to give their new album a listen.

I expected to hear lots of yelling and screaming mixed with hip hop and reggae, and was surprised to be confronted with mellow harmony and melodies on some of the songs. In fact, most of the songs appearing on the album favor the mellow sounds and P.O.D.�s front man, Sonny Sandoval, tends to sing on most of the songs rather than rap. Their first track, �Addicted� seems to follow the more familiar yelling and screaming that comes with their music, as well as some heavy guitar rifts. However, it seems to slowly fade away as the album ends with more solemn and slower songs such as �Tell Me Why,� which questions the meaning of war, and �Rise Against,� which challenges us to face all the problems in this world.

As suspected, I researched and found that this album has indeed strayed a bit from P.O.D�s traditional reggae, hip-hop, rock music that fans are so use to, and lends an ear to a more harmonious sound. Needless to say, it came as a disappointment to many of those expecting to hear a heavy metal album. Like most people, fans have a hard time with change, and anything less than screaming and rapping seems to be less than acceptable to this heavy metal/rock/hip hop culture. I�m not saying that I�m ecstatic about the CD, but I don�t think it is as terrible as some make it out to be. It�s still definitely more hardcore than anything that I�ve ever owned.

Although it has more singing than rapping and a mellower vibe, this album isn�t for the faint of heart. The album title itself, �When Angels & Serpents Dance,� sounds intriguing and dark. Lyrically and musically most of the album is either angry or depressing. They often discuss life�s struggles with little hope. �Shine with Me� sings a happier tune, encouraging people to share in the �one love� which I am assuming is God�s love. However, songs like �God Forbid,� which struggles with fighting to do the right thing, and �End of the World,� seem more hopeless. The meaning of the songs are thought-provoking and challenging, although aren�t always lyrically up to par. The song, �It Can�t Rain Every Day,� echoes their previous hit, �Youth of a Nation,� which discusses the hardships and disappointments in life. However, the lyrics aren�t as creative on this song as �Youth of a Nation,� but do offer hope that is rarely found on the other tracks on the album. Since God isn�t directly referenced in these songs, I assume that when they talk about love and fighting the good fight they are talking about God, otherwise it can get quite confusing. Its also confusing figuring out the meaning of some songs when the lyrics aren�t complete sentences but just phrases. It might be just because I am not accustomed to this style of music, but nonetheless, I had trouble deciphering the meaning of songs like �When Angels and Serpents Dance,� but got the sense that the tone was angry, bitter or sad.

If you are looking for upbeat music this album is not for you. If you are a hardcore heavy metal head that looks down on music that is remotely softer sounding, this may not be for you. However, if you enjoy the occasional rock and heavy metal and appreciate a bit of variety, this could be for you. Even if you don�t listen to hardcore heavy music, but sometimes like to pretend you�re cool, like me, this album can give you a taste of the music without overloading you. As of right now, there isn�t a song from this album that stands out or sounds like another radio hit, but maybe it just takes time for the music to get out to the world, and after all, I�m not exactly an expert in this genre.

Thu, Jul 03, 2008 @ 12:47 PM