P.O.D. To Release New Album In November

P.O.D. have set a tentative November 4 release date for their next album, the group's first since the departure of guitarist Marcos Curiel.

The band, who replaced Curiel with former LIVING SACRIFICE axeman Jason Truby, will enter the studio in May to begin recording the CD, for which they've already penned 11 songs.

"With Jason, it's like a fresh new vibe for us," drummer Wuv told MTV.com about the revamped group. "It's something that's welcome and something that we've been yearning for a long, long time. So it's working out great."

"We've always been like family, so it's jelling up great, and then musically it's jelling up even better," said Truby, whose previous band toured with P.O.D. years ago. "It's a blending, not a changing. I bring what I have to bring to the table, without [compromising] what they are, and it's working out really well."

Singer Sonny Sandoval described the new material as more mature. "I actually thought that with him coming in we might have problems being a little bit too heavy, but the stuff's not really coming out like that," Sandoval said. "I mean, the guitars are heavy, but it's still very melodic, still very beautiful. I think with Jason's influence it actually drives us to step it up a notch."

"When he came into our situation and became our guitar player, it was almost as if he had always been there," bassist Traa added. "We are so comfortable with him playing it's unbelievable, on top of him being an amazing guitar player."

P.O.D.'s first collaboration with Truby comes in the shape of the track "Sleeping Away", the first single from the forthcoming soundtrack to "The Matrix Reloaded". The band recorded the track in a Los Angeles studio with producer Howard Benson (MOTÖRHEAD, REVEILLE),who also helmed P.O.D.'s last two albums, "Satellite" (2002) and "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown" (1999).

"The Matrix Reloaded" soundtrack is due on May 6 through Atlantic Records.