BAND HISTORY

Early Years (1992–1998)

While the exact date of the formation of P.O.D. is unknown, friends Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo engaged in jam sessions in a band called Eschatos, without a vocalist sometime in the early 1990s. After his mother's fatal illness, Sonny Sandoval converted to Christianity and was asked by his cousin, Wuv Bernardo, to join P.O.D. as a way to keep his mind straight as stated on their DVD, Still Payin' Dues. Traa Daniels joined the band in 1994 when they needed a bassist for a concert, to replace Gabe Portillo, who appeared in the original demo tape. P.O.D. signed with a relatively unknown Christian label, Rescue Records, and released three albums under the label between 1994 and 1997, Snuff the Punk, Brown and Payable on Death Live.^[1]

Shortly after the release of Payable on Death Live, Essential Records offered P.O.D. a $100,000 recording contract, but Sonny Sandoval spoke for them all when he politely but firmly told band manager Tim Cook to decline the offer because, “God has a bigger plan for P.O.D.”^[4] In 1998, A&R rep John Rubeli from Atlantic Records caught a show at The Roxy on the Sunset Strip, and the band was quickly signed to a major-label deal.^[4] P.O.D. soon released The Warriors EP, a tribute EP to their loyal fans, as a transitional album from Rescue Records to Atlantic Records.