Testify | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 24, 2006 | |||
Recorded | December 2004 – July 2005 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 50:19 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Producer | Glen Ballard, P.O.D. | |||
P.O.D. chronology | ||||
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P.O.D. studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Testify | ||||
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Testify is the sixth studio album by American Christian nu metal band P.O.D. It was originally set for a December 2005 release,but was delayed until January 24,2006 by Atlantic Records. Testify was also their last album with Jason Truby on guitar,before he left the band in December 2006. The song "Lights Out" was featured in the video game Blitz:The League.
Testify was also available in the Testify (Limited Edition) version with a bonus CD (called Beyond Testify) featuring commentary by the band on every song on the album,as well as four bonus songs and a remix that didn't make the album. The album's first single,"Goodbye for Now," went on to become the No. 1 music video on MTV's TRL . The song also enjoyed heavy play on the radio. Testify became the No. 1 selling Christian album on Billboard for several weeks and,as of May 2006,had been in the Top 25 for a total of 16 weeks. It opened at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 with 58,000 scans [7] and has sold over 210,000 copies in the US and over 500,000 copies worldwide.
Bassist Traa Daniels stated "This album defines who we are musically as a foursome more than any other album that we've ever done." He added,"What we tried to do on this album. . . was to take people on a journey musically. . . I think we have a lot of different elements." Sonny Sandoval also noted,"We have one of the heaviest songs we ever wrote and one of the softest songs we ever wrote." [8]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (55/100) [9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
CBN | [11] |
Christianity Today | [12] |
Cross Rhythms | [13] |
Entertainment Weekly | C+ [14] |
IGN | (6.8/10) [15] |
Jesus Freak Hideout | [16] |
musicOMH | (favorable) [17] |
Rolling Stone | [18] |
Spin | (6/10) [19] |
Upon release,Testify was met with mixed reception from major music publications. On an aggregate score out of 100,Metacritic gave it 55 based on 11 reviews. [9] Jason Bracelin of Blender gave the album two stars out of five and proclaimed,"On their fifth disc,these 'jah soldiers' run low on ammo" and elaborated that "on the ska-tinged 'Strength of My Life,' they sound like the world’s most polite rude boys,while 'Goodbye for Now' is the kind of listless modern rock that could be bottled and sold as a sleep aid." [20] Rolling Stone 's Christian Hoard similarly noted "Testify is not as pompous or overblown as you might think;it just feels tired. . . The most notable aspect of Testify,in fact,is how little P.O.D.,or their guitars,have to say." [18]
AllMusic's Matt Collar,however,gave the album 4/5 rating and considered guitarist Jason Truby's work a "truly inspired and technically brilliant performance." He also commended Sandoval's enthusiastic vocals regarded the album as representing "a band reborn".
All tracks are written by P.O.D., except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Roots in Stereo" (featuring Matisyahu) | 4:42 |
2. | "Lights Out" | 2:47 |
3. | "If You Could See Me Now" | 3:07 |
4. | "Goodbye for Now" | 4:34 |
5. | "Sounds Like War" | 3:53 |
6. | "On the Grind" (featuring Sick Jacken and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. [21] ) | 4:25 |
7. | "This Time" | 4:41 |
8. | "Mistakes & Glories" | 3:38 |
9. | "Let You Down" | 4:15 |
10. | "Teachers" | 4:21 |
11. | "Strength of My Life" (featuring Matisyahu) | 3:37 |
12. | "Say Hello" | 2:32 |
13. | "Mark My Words" (featuring Sick Jacken) | 3:43 |
Total length: | 50:19 |
No. | Title | Length |
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14. | "Not Your Kind" (Japan bonus track) | 2:37 |
15. | "Your Eyes" (Walmart exclusive bonus track) | 4:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Here We Go" (Previously unreleased but was put on Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years ) | 3:28 |
Beyond Testify is also a limited edition second disc that features exclusive web content, commentaries for all the songs, and the following bonus tracks:
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Generation" | 4:25 |
2. | "Bridge to Burn" (previously unreleased B-side from the Payable on Death sessions) | 4:26 |
3. | "Will You" (Chris Vrenna Remix) | 3:54 |
4. | "Every Time I Die" (demo) | 3:31 |
5. | "New Wave" ("Let You Down" demo) | 3:39 |
P.O.D.
Additional personnel
Jonathan Davis was scheduled to perform backup vocals on the song "Mistakes and Glories" but could not be due to scheduling conflicts. Jason Truby recorded the sections left for Davis in his place.
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [22] | 81 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [23] | 57 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24] | 54 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [25] | 64 |
US Billboard 200 [26] | 9 |
US Christian Albums (Billboard) [27] | 1 |
P.O.D. is an American Christian nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval, bassist Mark "Traa" Daniels, lead guitarist Marcos Curiel, and drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo. They have sold over 12 million records worldwide.
The Fundamental Elements of Southtown is the third studio album and major label debut of Christian nu metal band P.O.D., released on August 24, 1999. It went on to become the band's first platinum album, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart in April 2000. It was the 143rd best-selling album of 2000 in the United States. "Southtown" and "Rock the Party " became the album's singles, both of which were accompanied by music videos. The album also includes a cover of U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky".
Satellite is the fourth studio album by American Christian nu metal band P.O.D. The album was released on September 11, 2001 debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart with over 133,000 copies sold. It spent five consecutive weeks in the top 10 of that chart.
Payable on Death is the self-titled fifth studio album by Christian nu metal 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. Payable on Death was released on November 4, 2003, through Atlantic and marks a notable de-emphasizing of the band's distinctive rap metal style. While a commercial disappointment compared to Satellite, it still managed to sell over 1,300,000 copies worldwide.
Snuff the Punk is the debut studio album by Christian nu metal band P.O.D. The album was released on January 25, 1994, on Rescue Records, which was owned by Noah Bernardo, Sr. It was remixed, remastered and re-released with new artwork by indie label Diamante in 1999. The original cover showed a cartoon character with a gun, but the re-released album cover issued a censored cover art with this illustration removed.
Jason Truby is an American guitarist. He began his career in 1989 with Living Sacrifice as lead guitarist. He was also a member of P.O.D., but has also performed with Phil Keaggy, David Beegle, Ashley Cleveland and her husband Kenny Greenberg, and was a guest performer with Phil Keaggy's band Glass Harp at the First Annual Denver Guitar Festival.
Life on Display is the second studio album by post-grunge band Puddle of Mudd. It was produced by John Kurzweg whose previous work includes Creed, Socialburn, and No Address, and whom produced the band's previous album, and Michael "Elvis" Baskette.
The Warriors EP, Volume 2 is the name of P.O.D.'s third EP, second in their "Warriors EP" series, which contains demos from the Testify recording sessions, a cover of the Payola$ song, "Eyes Of A Stranger," and live versions of "Wildfire" and "Boom" recorded at Cornerstone Festival 2004. The inside of the cover contains a message from lead singer Sonny Sandoval to the 'Warriors', P.O.D.'s worldwide following of fans. The EP was released on November 15, 2005 and was limited to 40,000 copies.
Marcos Curiel is the lead guitarist of rock bands P.O.D., The Accident Experiment and Daylight Division. Curiel was born in San Diego, California, in 1974 and is of Mexican descent. He grew up in the neighboring city of Chula Vista, where he graduated from Bonita Vista High School in 1992. Curiel started P.O.D. that year, along with friend Noah "Wuv" Bernardo. The band started building a strong local fanbase, releasing several albums independently. In 1998, they were signed to a record deal and released their hit albums The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (1999) and Satellite (2001) including hit singles, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation". Both albums have had mainstream success, gaining multi Platinum certifications by the RIAA and three Grammy Award nominations. P.O.D. has also contributed to numerous motion picture soundtracks and toured internationally. Marcos has attended the Howard Fine Acting Studio. Curiel is the youngest member of P.O.D.
"Will You" is a song by American Christian metal band P.O.D. and the lead single from their fifth studio album, Payable on Death. Released on September 22, 2003, the song charted at No. 17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart on December 2 that year.
"Goodbye for Now" is a song by P.O.D. and the lead single from their sixth studio album, Testify, released in 2006. It features a 21-year old Katy Perry vamping over the final chorus of the song. She also appeared in the music video. Her contribution, however, was not enough to earn her a guest appearance at that time. The track was later included on Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years in 2006.
When Angels & Serpents Dance is the seventh studio album by Christian metal band P.O.D., released in 2008. It is the first album to include Marcos Curiel since Satellite and the only P.O.D. album released on Columbia. It also includes Mike Muir from Suicidal Tendencies, Helmet guitarist/vocalist Page Hamilton, guest Gospel Choir, and the Marley Sisters. The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling over 34,000 copies in its first week. It has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide so far. A remixed and remastered version of the album, relabeled under Mascot Records, was released on October 14, 2022.
"Boom" is a song by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released in April 2002 as the third single from their second major label studio album Satellite. While it did not chart as well as the album's previous singles, the song has appeared significantly in film and television. "Boom " was included on the remix album Community Service and as a bonus track on the special edition re-release of Satellite available August 27, 2002. A limited edition, gatefold picture disc of the single was also available in the UK.
Light is the third studio album by reggae singer Matisyahu, released on August 25, 2009, by Epic and JDub Records. It's his second major label release following Youth released three years previously. Light was highly successful in the reggae world, holding the top spot on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart for 34 weeks.
Murdered Love is the eighth studio album by American Christian metal band P.O.D., released on July 10, 2012. It debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 17 with sales of over 16,000 in its first week in the U.S. Murdered Love is the follow-up to When Angels & Serpents Dance and it sees the band reunited with long-time producer Howard Benson who also produced the band's The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, Satellite and Payable on Death albums. Prior to the album's official release, three songs were made available for download, all were recorded with producer and engineer Blake La Grange; two of which, "Eyez" and a demo version of "On Fire", available for free on the band's website. The album features guest appearances from Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta, Cypress Hill's Sen Dog, and Psycho Realm's Sick Jacken. A deluxe edition of the album, featuring acoustic and bonus tracks, was released on October 22, 2013.
The Awakening is the ninth studio album by American Christian metal band P.O.D. It was released on August 21, 2015. The album is unique in that it is the band's only concept album of their career, complete with skits and voiceovers before and after each song.
SoCal Sessions is an acoustic album by P.O.D. It was released on November 12, 2014. The album contains 12 acoustic tracks from their previous studio albums: The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, Satellite, Payable on Death, Testify, When Angels & Serpents Dance, and Murdered Love.
Circles is the tenth studio album by American Christian nu metal band P.O.D. The album was released on November 16, 2018, via Mascot Records. To promote the record, the band toured across the United States and Europe. It is the last album to feature the band's founding drummer Wuv Bernardo before his hiatus from the band in 2021.
The Last Goodbye is the fourth studio album by the American electronic music duo Odesza, released on July 22, 2022 through Ninja Tune and Foreign Family Collective. It is the duo's first studio album in five years, after A Moment Apart.
Veritas is the eleventh studio album by American Christian nu metal band P.O.D. It was released on May 3, 2024, via Mascot Records, and is the first album by the band not to feature drummer Wuv Bernardo after he went on hiatus in 2021. It was produced by production duo Heavy, who had previously produced Circles (2018), and features guest appearances from Randy Blythe, Tatiana Shmayluk, and Cove Reber.