Payable On Death (2003)

On their successive 2001 hits, ''Alive'' and ''Youth of the Nation,'' SoCal raga-rap-rockers P.O.D. seemed to possess a knack for anthemic -- if heavy-handed -- metal. Four studio albums later, on Payable On Death it's more like an obsession. On track after formulaic track, perfunctory verses rush into roaring refrains of compressed guitar arrrgh and charmless didacticism (''reach for the sky''). On the gag-worthy ''Change the World,'' they challenge the listener to ''break the cycle,'' only to ignore their own good advice.

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