Snuff The Punk

Snuff the Punk is the debut studio album by American nu metal band P.O.D. It was released on January 25, 1994 by Rescue Records, owned by Noah Bernardo, Sr (lead vocalist Sonny Sandoval's uncle and drummer Wuv Bernardo's father). Described as an early example of nu metal, the album has a more punk-influenced sound with overtly Christian lyrics. A remaster with new artwork was released by independent label Diamante in 1999.
Despite the band's popularity, Snuff the Punk continues to fly under the radar. Reviews of the album are scarce, but the existing ones have been mixed, praising its early version of the band's mix of hardcore punk, heavy metal and hip-hop, but criticizing its raw production, lack of cohesion and preachy lyrics.
Rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area punk scene, Snuff the Punk's music has been inspired by genres such as hip hop and reggae in a hardcore punk tune. This unique sound crossed cultural boundaries, both racial and religious. As such, Rescue advertised the album in press as "hardcore with a hip-hop appeal to it." Another major influence was heavy metal, especially rap metal, a genre the band is generally associated with. Despite this, the album is more punk-influenced and overtly Christian than the band's releases with Atlantic Records.
Snuff the Punk has been described as an early nu metal album. While P.O.D. rose to popularity as a nu metal band, Korn's self-titled debut album, released a few months later, has been seen as the genre's "first shot". It has also been described as a hardcore punk album. Lyrically, the album is centered on faith, conflict, and growing up in a multicultural, working-class area. The opening track, "Coming Down" shows the band's Pentecostalism beliefs, with the title referring to Jesus, while "Who Is Right?" is a punk rock song with anti-racist lyrics promoting multi-racial friendships, a response to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Snuff the Punk was released on January 25, 1994 with a cover art showing a cartoon character with a gun aimed at the Devil. It established P.O.D. as a popular band in the hardcore punk and Christian underground subcultures. They began to tour the U.S. promoting their album. They played in small venues, churches and bars, and slowly developed a following of "warriors" nationwide. 25,000 copies of the album were sold in the first few years, mostly at shows. The band tried to take advantage of their growing fanbase to secure a major record deal, but were unable to.
Snuff the Punk was reissued three times after its original release in 1994. The first reissue has the same cover art, and was released in 1996. The second reissue, also a remix and remaster, has censored cover art. The rerelease shows a character with wings punching the Devil. It also has an alternate P.O.D. logo, without the band's full name, Payable on Death, and was released in 1999 by independent label Diamante. The third reissue, a special edition, is based on the remaster, but combines "Who's in This House?" and the anti-abortion song "Murder" into one track. It also includes live video of "Selah" and "Full Color" from the band's second album, Brown, and was released in 2000.

Lineup

Sonny Sandoval – Vocals
Marcos Curiel – Guitar
Traa Daniels – Bass
Noah "Wuvy" Bernardo – Drums