On September 11th, 2001, history was made in the United States- tragedy hit the United States like never before, but out of that tragic day rose an album that would shine the light of Christ through that tragedy- P.O.D.'s Satelite. It was an album that was classic and brought multiple huge radio singles (Alive, Boom, Youth of the Nation, and Satelite) and two #1 videos (Alive and Youth of the Nation) on MTV's TRL (Total Request Live).

After 4 1/2 years and one album (Payable on Death) which was nothing to write home about, P.O.D. resurrects itself yet again by bringing an incredible album that brings hope in the midst of tragedy all around us (Hurricanes, War in Iraq, etc...). Testify is P.O.D.'s fourth release on Atlantic Records and their most unique album to date. Between the contemplative rock ballads (If You Could See Me Now, Goodbye for Now, This Time) and the powerful rock tracks ( Lights Out, Sounds Like War, Mistakes and Glories, Say Hello, Mark My Words), Testify has something for everyone. Yet the most interesting part of this album is a new twist not common to P.O.D. albums- collaborations (Roots in Stereo, On the Grind, Strength of My Life). In the industry today, collaborations between multiple artists are a dime-a-dozen, but these collaborations are no Jay-Z/ Linkin Park or Black Eyed Peas/ Justin Timberlake smash up- they are powerful and meaningful with unsuspected and unlikely collaboraters. Two that I personally like a lot are Roots in Stereo and Strength of My Life feature up-and-coming reggae artist Matisyahu who is a Hasidic Jew who has a strong faith and lyrically is more sound than most Christian artists.

Testify rings loud and clear of P.O.D.'s Christian faith more than probably any album they have released in the past. The lyrics are more than just thought provoking- they are heart piercing. If purchased on Itunes (the album with exclusives option), you will receive an awesome audio commentary done by the band about every song on the album and it is totally worth spending the extra couple bucks for the other exclusives.

All in all, this album is P.O.D.'s best yet- the collaborations(especially with Matisyahu) is what really pushes this album over the edge as P.O.D. continues to climbing up the ladder of successful, long-lasting rock bands (14 years since their first release) whose faith just seems to be getting stronger and so much more steadfast.

Also, check out Matisyahu's 2004 release called Live at Stubb's, which is holding strong on the Itunes top 10.

Rating: 10/10

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