Make it three in a row.

P.O.D.'s new album finds them in familiar territory on the Billboard charts. When Angels and Serpents Dance, the band's first effort with Columbia and INO Records, debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 - exactly the peak position of their previous two albums, which were forged for Atlantic Records. When Angels... is also the most-downloaded rock album on iTunes and holds the top position on SoundScan's Contemporary Christian chart this week.

"After 16 years of being in P.O.D., the loyalty of The Warriors [P.O.D.'s fanbase] continue to make us look good," said lead singer Sonny Sandoval in a press release posted on inorecords.com. "We are truly grateful and blown away to see another Top 10 debut."

The new album marks the return of guitarist Marcos Curiel, whose work was featured on the band's breakthrough effort, Satellite (2001).

There are those both inside and outside the Third Day fan camp who, if they're being honest, would label the group's first five years together as their rock period and the years that have transpired since that time as... well... their not-quite-so-rocking period. While any such hard-and-fast view is true only up to a point, those who bought the Chronology Volume One album, which traced the Atlanta-based outfit's musical arc from the 1996 self-titled debut to the Offerings live worship project in 2000, found more than a little evidence to support such a claim. From the swaggering, Skynyrd-tinged strains of "Forever" to the lumbering, grunge-inflected "Consuming Fire" and majestic power balladry of "Love Song," one couldn't help but marvel at the band's seemingly effortless fluency with the rock and roll idiom.

As unlikely as it might seem to more recent converts to the Third Day fold, time was when lead singer Mac Powell and his cohorts rocked more fiercely than just about any other artist on the Christian music charts. Indeed, newcomers whose only exposure to the group is through latter-day singles like "Cry Out to Jesus" and "Mountain of God" may be shocked to learn that the outfit's first few records were described as a cross between Lynyrd Skynyrd's down-and-dirty Southern hard rock and the arena-ready post-grunge of artists like Pearl Jam. Indeed, Powell's voice was so often likened to that of PJ front man Eddie Vedder that the 3D cooperative often broke into "Yellow Ledbetter" during their early concerts as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the comparison.

If nothing else, the latest 12 Stones release seems destined to send diehard fans scurrying to uncover the identity of the underdog mentioned in its title. Some will conjecture that it refers to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which caused widespread devastation to the group’s hometown of New Orleans in August of 2005. Others will see it as pointing to the band itself which, despite a considerable fan base, lead singer Paul McCoy’s Grammy for his involvement on the Top 5 Evanescence single "Bring Me to Life," and opening slots for everyone from Daughtry to Creed, has yet to do business on the Billboard Hot 100 or watch its albums fly off of the shelves.

Minutes to Midnight, their latest, marks a departure for the group. Despite an uncharacteristically high tally of expletives, the album is decidedly less irate than previous offerings. The rapping is less frequent, the overall sound more melodic, and ultimately it finds the crew in search of artistry rather than their next hit.

P.O.D. had spent several years with Atlantic Records, producing four full-length albums since 1998, including their 2001 breakthrough disc Satellite.

Submitted by Doug "The Canuck" Giesbrecht of HM Magazine

1. Dave Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts EP

I'm a real sucker for all things Bazan. I will admit it. He is the ONE artist that I currently have a predetermined love for. This EP contains some of his strongest songwriting, and the five songs take on a whole different life when performed stripped down on the second half of the record. Genius! Total Genius.

From Essential Records January 2007 - 2006 was an exciting year for Essential Recording artist Red. On June 6, they released their debut album, End of Silence, and have been touring non-stop since April. Their first hit single, "Breathe into Me," hit number 1 on both Radio and Records' and CRW's Christian Rock Charts during the month of July. On December 18, "Already Over," the second single from their debut, skyrocketed to the top spot on Radio and Records' Christian Rock chart.

Submitted by Doug Van Pelt (Editor, HM Magazine)

1. Mute Math - S/T (Warner Bros)

This album just keeps getting better and better. I had it back in the Spring, when they were only selling it at shows, etc. Now, with the official release finally coming out this fall, they added many of the songs from the Reset EP and also include a live CD. This should go down as a classic. Imagine Radiohead and Coldplay coming together and making Sting their lead vocalist... They totally bring it live, too.