P.O.D. Singer Says 'Greatest Hits' Helped Bring Guitarist Back

Launch Radio Networks reports: P.O.D. surprised its fans last month by announcing that founding guitarist Marcos Curiel had rejoined the band after a nearly four-year absence. Although the group and Curiel parted on sour terms, P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval told Launch that the relationship took a turn for the better when they started putting together their recent greatest-hits collection. "Obviously, you can't think of greatest hits without thinking about, you know, Marcos and all the years that we spent together, and it's funny 'cause you learn so much and it's like, even at this point, it's like, you just want to put everything aside and say, 'Hey, dude, can we just go in and make music?'" he said. "Enough with the politics, enough with who thinks what's right, the label's telling us to do this...it's like, hey, let's just be those guys that we started off and make some quality music."

Curiel parted ways with the Christian rap-rockers in February of 2003 and later slammed the band, telling MTV.com, "With P.O.D., things were supposedly handled in the name of God, but they were actually handled in the name of greed."

He went on to form a new band called THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT, while P.O.D. recruited ex-LIVING SACRIFICE axeman Jason Truby to play on its last two studio albums, 2003's "Payable On Death" and 2005's "Testify". Truby exited the group once Curiel's return was made official.

"Greatest Hits: The Atlantic Years", P.O.D.'s final release through Atlantic Records, arrived in stores in November. It features the brand new track and current single, "Going In Blind".

P.O.D. has reportedly signed a new record deal and will release its seventh studio effort later this year.