The 8th-annual 93X-mas concert's Sunday finale at the New Daisy Theater will feature two seasoned bands with two new albums.
P.O.D., who will headline Sunday night's show, will feature songs off their newly released album, "The Warriors E: Volume 2" as well as their upcoming album Testify.
"Everyone is real excited," said Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, P.O.D.'s drummer, in a phone interview. "The (EP) is cool. We got seven songs and five of them are new."
November's release of "Warriors" marks the second time since P.O.D has released a limited EP under the radar in their 14-year history.
"We didn't do any advertising," said Bernardo. "We wanted it to be for our long-time fans."
The band released 40,000 copies of the "Warriors" EP nationwide in perpetration for their new full-length album, "Testify" debuting Jan. 24.
"We worked really hard on the new album, harder than we usually do," Bernardo said. "We had a new producer, Glen Ballard, and we recorded in four different cities."
Ballard is a veteran producer who has worked with Dave Matthews Band and Aerosmith. Having him produce the album helped the band grow up a little, Bernardo said.
"We have been around 14 years and this is our 9th record," he said. "We wanted to concentrate on growing up but still not losing any of that P.O.D. flavor."
Another band that is hoping to identify fans with their new album Sunday night is Cold. Cold, who saw limited success with their previous albums, "13 Ways to Bleed On Stage" and "Year of the Spider," is struggling to get their new album, "A Different Kind of Pain," played.
"It's frustrating," said lead singer Scooter Ward. "In music today, the politics and the corporations is too much.
"If you let someone take over your band it will eat you alive," he said.
Cold's shortcomings in album sales have been one of many hardships the band has experienced while working on their new album.
Former guitarist Ben Moody left the band for Evanescence after filling in at guitar while the bands toured together.
Cold then returned home to Jacksonville, Fla. to finish the record as a four- piece, and have been pleased with the results despite the lack of radio time the album has received.
"There are a bunch of pop bands ruling the radio right now. Rock is dead," Ward said. "We are proud of the whole record. We just want to touch people."
Ward said that Cold is now concentrating on touring and playing their new album live instead of worrying about radio time.
"Cold will never be huge," Ward said. "You always want the best to happen, but the powers that be do what they do.
"We just express our feelings and that feeling on our records is painful," he said.
The 93X-mas concert will take place all weekend long with local bands performing Friday and Saturday night before Sunday's headlining show featuring Taproot, Cold and P.O.D.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are available at The New Daisy box office and Cat's Music.
