You could call them a 21st-century Stryper.

But that would be doing the members of San Diego's P.O.D. a bit of a disservice.

Stryper, you may recall, was an '80s, big-hair-and-spandex outfit which tossed Bibles into its audience, wore black and yellow clothing and called its assault on the secular masses the "yellow and black attack."

P.O.D. (it stands for Payable on Death) is a pounding, rap-rock-reggae band whose music doesn't sound out of place beside the likes of Rage Against the Machine or Korn. Its four members are all believers, but the band doesn't preach the word from the stage, preferring instead to indulge its fans with long, one-to-one, post-show conversations.

By Stryper's standards, P.O.D. is far too street-credible.

Which is exactly how the four members of the group -- drummer Wuv, bassist Traa, guitarist Marcos and rapper/singer Sonny -- want to be perceived.

"We're not goin' off on people about religion from the stage, dude," says P.O.D. co-founder Wuv over the phone from San Diego. "You don't even see the word Jesus in our lyrics, but we are believers and want our band to be about something.

"That goes right back to when we first writing songs," he says. "We said 'Hey, what is our band gonna be about -- about being the life of the party or is it gonna mean something?' So we decided that we would tell 'em about God and tell 'em about love," he says, then reiterates: "We would rather be a band that means something for the kids. If the songs lift your spirits, that's what we're out to do."

Formed nearly 10 years by Wuv and guitarist Marcos, P.O.D. gradually fell into place when Wuv's cousin Sonny joined on vocals and Wuv's father suggested that Traa, who was playing in a funk band, would be a good addition on bass.

The group released three independent albums over five years before being picked up by Atlantic Records, for whom the band recorded The Fundamental Elements of Southtown -- an album which has sold 1.1 million copies since its 1999 release.

Southtown is the name of the San Diego neighbourhood in which all four band members grew up, and Wuv says the area is the multi-cultural melting pot of his city.

"It's like the most south you can get and still be in the United States," he says. "I live a mile from the Tijuana border and all these different cultures -- blacks, whites, Mexicans, Chinese -- all live in the area, so it's a good vibe. A lot of that is where our sounds come from, from all bits and pieces of reggae and Latin music and rap and metal."

Although P.O.D. has "crossed over" from the Christian to the mainstream scene -- it was part of last year's OzzFest and the MTV Return of Rock tour -- Wuv maintains that the group is sticking to its roots.

"We haven't done many Christian shows the last two years, but things like the Cornerstone Festival (an annual Christian rock event in suburban Chicago) have helped us to get the national exposure we have, so we're not gonna forget where we came from."

Nor will the band forget the kids for whom they play.

"Oh, yeah, it's a big thing, being able to talk to kids. They tell us their problems or they say 'dude, I just listened to your CD and it helped get through a bad time.' That's what it's all about for us."

Tonight's show -- promoted by Christian organization Power to Change -- comes just as P.O.D. has wrapped rehearsals for a new recording. After Winnipeg, the group heads to L.A. for six weeks of studio time.

"You'll hear some new songs, for sure," Wuv says. " The musical direction is heavy, maybe a little slower but we still talk about our love for God in metaphors."

Speaking of metaphors, what does that name mean?

"Payable on Death. That has to do with our faith about giving your life to God and He pays you after you're gone," Wuv says.

Stryper was never that subtle.