Pop Evil - Versatile

Tracklist:

Let The Chaos Reign

Set Me Free

Breathe Again

Work

Inferno

Stronger (The Time Is Now)

Raise Your Flag

Human Nature

Survivor

Worst In Me

Same Blood

Fire Inside

This year marks the 2 decade mark for the Michigan rock band Pop Evil, it’s also their 6th full length studio album in their career. It took the band a lot of hard work and time to really get themselves in a good position where they could take off, but since then they have really come forward with some remarkable music. So does number 6 follow suit?

“Let the Chaos Reign” is a high octane start, crunchy riff, rap style vocals over the top, very energetic choruses, enough grit to snap your neck to head banging, especially that stunning breakdown at the end of the track. “Work” is up on the chopping block next, I instantly thought of Rhianna’s track but if I’m being honest it does have rather mainstream pop elements with all the bass drops and gruff distortion but then if you mixed that in with Shinedown you have this track at it’s core essentially, it’s actually stupidly catchy. “Breathe Again” follows that on with it’s base but then flares up this intensely aggressive hard rock shell to coat it, they’re doing well to absorb these mainstream techniques and styles into their harder rock sound which already works because they’ve been incorporating rap into their music for years now. “Set Me Free” is definitely more what I would expect following on from their Self Titled album, at its core it’s a very crunchy riffy track with very lovely sweet complementary tones around the chorus where vocalist Kakaty can just run away with his range and talents, there’s enough in this to snap your neck clean off if that’s more what you’re looking for. “Survivor” is a ballad, it’s got a bit of a southern country twang on it and is very soft with it’s pace and tone a bit like one of Seether’s ballads if you can imagine, it’s a song that’s got enough groove that you feel like hippies at Woodstock would have a field day dancing to it. “Inferno” is pretty similar apart from the sort of vibe and feeling you get from this one is more like I can picture staring into the vastness of space and observing very slow but significant events, like the segments in the show Final Space if you’ve managed to watch that, it would fit beautifully there. “Fire Inside” deserves a very special mention, the album closer has a very big feel to it, kicks off very crunchy and sinister then builds up to a glorious stadium worthy chorus.

Cannot fault them yet again, to be honest they’ve fought so hard to get here they seem to take the utmost care and perfectionism when putting together their new material because they appear to just be enormously passionate about it. There isn’t a bad song on this album in my opinion, I found myself letting the whole album play on repeat for a ridiculously long time. I really hope I get the chance to see them play a headline set next year.

[9/10]