This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
With last year’s major-label debut Fundamental Elements of Southtown, SoCal rap-rockers P.O.D. — Payable on Death — jumped to the top of the new Christian-metal heap. But with this underwhelming followup, they seem to have nowhere to go but down.
For the most part, the 15-track Satellite revolves around the same cliche mish-mash of Hispanic hip-hop, heavy metal and heavenly spirituality as Southtown, with the quartet often sounding too close to a reverent Rage Against The Machine for their own good. And when they do try to push the envelope, the results aren’t much more successful. More reggae influences, including cameos from Bad Brains’ singer H.R. and legendary toaster Eek-A-Mouse, make a nice fit. But the poppier moments, especially the morality play Youth of the Nation — featuring a children’s chorus — are, to borrow one of their own song titles, ridiculous. I know they don’t just want to keep preaching to the choir. But Satellite’s ho-hum sermon isn’t likely to win P.O.D. any new converts.
