Rock, Metal

Pop Evil - Lipstick On The Mirror (2008)

2014-04-27T15:44:36Z

Pop Evil - Lipstick On The Mirror (2008)


1. 	"Hero"   	3:32
2. 	"Breathe"   	3:23
3. 	"Shinedown"   	3:40
4. 	"100 in a 55"   	4:12
5. 	"Somebody Like You"   	3:42
6. 	"3 Seconds to Freedom"   	3:20
7. 	"Another Romeo & Juliet"   	4:36
8. 	"Stepping Stone"   	3:39
9. 	"Jupiter in June"   	3:56
10. 	"One More Goodbye"   	3:57
11. 	"Ready or Not"   	3:34
12. 	"Hard Highway"   	3:38
13. 	"Hey Mister"   	3:57

Leigh Kakaty (vocals)
Tony Greve, Dave Grahs (guitar)
Matt Dirito (bass guitar)
Dylan Allison (drums)

Imagine you are walking through the jungle that is mainstream rock. As you dodge an endless swarm of Nickelbacks and Hinders searching for the “holy grail” of rock, you see what could very well be that grail. You pick up the Pop Evil album and dust it off. As you observe it you see a mirror with xoxo written in lipstick and a halo over the O. It is almost enough to make you drop it in disgust but you listen to it anyway, and you’re pleasantly surprised. The Pop Evil album makes its first impression as your typical cock rock anthem, but behind the cover lies an album that reminds you why you listen to rock in the first place.

Pop Evil succeeds most by copying the essential rhythm of common Nickelback songs, but adding more meaning than “it’s hard to steer when you’re breathing in my ear, but I got both hands on the wheel while you’ve got both hands on my gears…” Instilled in every song is a catchy sing-along chorus filled with clichés and metaphors that stick in your head for days.

Having said all this about their songs, it seems clear that the song writing skills of Pop Evil have been established right? Wrong. Let’s take what is probably the strongest song on the album 100 in a 55. The chorus is great as Kakaty exclaims, “goin’ a hundred in a 55 and I don’t know why I’m still alive…I still believe in this rock and roll and I pray the music’s gonna save my soul, but ‘till then I still believe.” While the chorus is catchy and rather well written, the song is filled with lyrics such as, “too much is never enough and too little is never enough.”

In fact, the entire Lipstick on the Mirror album follows this disappointing pattern. Upon first listen, the songs sound good. Filled with rock and roll clichés that seem to explain the meaning of love, life, and fate Pop Evil makes a great first impression. After further investigation, the lyrics are nothing more than overcomplicated high school relationships gone wrong.

Now I know I just spent the last few paragraphs bashing Pop Evil and their horrible song writing, however the sound of the band is actually rather appealing. Dave Grahs gives us first-rate performance on guitar. While nothing is extremely complex, there are some impressive solos thrown in and the riffs are not at all oversimplified. The drum work from Dylan Allison is sufficient. While it doesn’t show much flare or flash, it works as a good backbone for the music to flow.

All in all, Pop Evil brings a catchy debut album to the table with likable riffs and a good mix of southern rock and grunge. As a listener though, we end the album with disappointment. How could a band with this much talent and such an appealing sound have screwed this up? We are ultimately left with a desire to see or rather hear what could have been. Perhaps Pop Evil can work out all the “kinks” in a second album, but for now, Lipstick on the Mirror is just so-so. --- ebongo91, sputnikmusic.com

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Pop Evil - War Of Angels (2011)

2014-04-25T15:52:58Z

Pop Evil - War Of Angels (2011)


1	Last Man Standing See All 2	3:24		
2	Epitaph	3:32		
3	Broken & Betrayed	3:39		
4	Monster You Made See All 2	3:42		
5	Let It Go	4:11		
6	Boss's Daughter See All 2	3:25		
7	Daisy Chain	3:34		
8	Purple	4:04		
9	Black & Blue	3:39		
10	Next Life	4:00	

    Leigh Kakaty – lead vocals
    Tony Greve – lead guitar
    Dave Grahs – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
    Matt DiRito – bass, backing vocals
    Dylan Allison – drums

After three years, Michigan hard rock band Pop Evil is back with their second album, "War Of Angels". Anyone who pays attention to hard rock probably has heard some of the story surrounding this album, but for those who haven't't, Pop Evil was supposed to release "War Of Angels" in February but after conflicts with their label, they were dropped and released "War Of Angels" on July 5th, and it was #1 on the iTunes rock chart that week. Now, about the sound. Some people who liked Pop Evil's 1st CD "Lipstick On The Mirror" will undoubtly hate this. I'll just say it, this CD is HEAVY! It's not truly metal, but some songs approach that territory. They are a few ballads (but what rock record doesn't have a few soft tunes?) Vocalist Leigh Kakaty has said that he believes that "War Of Angels" is the true debut album for Pop Evil as the first CD was what the label wanted them to sound like. Pop Evil sounds P-SSED OFF on "War Of Angels". The guitars are much heavier on this record, and there's some pretty catchy riffs. I'd say this album has a tinge of a Disturbed-meets-Sevendust vibe in the heavier tunes and an 80's feel in the ballads.

Lyrics: I'll say it upfront, I really like Leigh Kakaty as a vocalist. The dude doesn't use screaming (for the record, I like screaming metal vocals, but they get old after a bit). His voice is pretty strong, and his range is impressive. As for his lyrics, they run the gamut of modern rock lyrics (death, sex, anger, love, etc.) and I'm not the biggest fan of the lyrics on "War Of Angels", but they sound like they mean something to him, so I can respect that.

Overall Impression: My favorite songs are "Epitaph", "Monster You Made", "Boss's Daughter", and "Daisy Chain". The metal elitists on UG will complain because this band is a "radio" band, but "War Of Angels" is still a lot of fun. And just to state it clearly, Pop Evil IS a modern rock band, but they are much heavier than the BuckCherrys and Hinders of the world. I love the heaviness compared to "Lipstick On The Mirror", however, the lyrics could be improved a bit due to the familiar topics that everybody hears on modern rock radio. I just got this album today, but if somebody stole it, I'd call the guys from the "Hero" music video that saved Leigh Kakaty's a-s, and I'd send those guys to beat the hell out of whoever stole it! If I lost it, I'd drive for miles to buy a new copy, but I can tell you right now, I WILL NEVER LOSE this "War Of Angels" (corny joke I know). One of the best rock albums of the year! --- Battman1993, ultimate-guitar.com

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Pop Evil – Onyx (2013)

2014-01-16T20:19:01Z

Pop Evil – Onyx (2013)


1. Goodbye My Friend
2. Deal with the Devil
3. Trenches
4. Torn to Pieces
5. Divide
6. Beautiful
7. Silence & Scars
8. Sick Sense
9. Fly Away
10. Behind Closed Doors
11. Welcome to Reality
12. Flawed

Musicians:
    Leigh Kakaty - lead vocals
    Nick Fuelling - lead and rhythm guitar
    Dave Grahs - rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals
    Matt DiRito - bass, backing vocals
    Chachi Riot – drums

Pop Evil does a smart thing on Onyx. The Michiganders leave their acoustic guitars in their cases. Electric is always good, and on this 12 song collection electricity flows through more than just the power cords to the amps. Power chords need power cords and guitarists that don’t mind scraping knuckles to make the songs rock. Onyx rocks. It’s shinier than a new set of Tyfun chrome rims, if that vehicle needed twelve of them, and every lug nut is perfectly torqued. After Pop Evil’s successful War of Angels, Onyx seems to find the boys in black pressing on the gas a little harder.

There’s absolutely no way to deny the genetic code Pop Evil shares with Sevendust. They tour together, they appeal to similar fans and they’re both found in the alternative metal section of whichever online vendor one prefers. Sevendust cast a heavy shadow over Pop Evil. Onyx lets Pop Evil step out of that shadow.

The ultra-processed bass guitar noodle that starts “Goodbye My Friend” is like a bright red road flare on the rock and roll highway. Pop Evil wants to grab serious attention. Listen up, top ten alt-metal hit ahead, watch for sliding guitars. The song does the necessary loud-and-soft thing and uses toss-away lyrics for the melody, but the rock quarry rhythm and the overall intensity of a band pushing hard to sell the track puts a knee in the groin of mediocrity.

“Deal with the Devil” is triple-filtered Alice in Chains as interpreted by Sevendust in their Seasons period. Toss in the Avenged Sevenfold setting on the echo unit and “Deal with the Devil” rates as filler until Onyx’s highlight “Trenches” shows up to make things right. Proud of it status as the album's centerpiece, its ready to roar out of everyone’s Beats on the flight back home for summer vacation. Leigh Kakaty, in a sea of loc-tite background vocals, sings through every word that rhymes with the vowel ‘I’. The song is reportedly about overcoming addiction and abuse. It’s a feisty fist-pumper for the fans.

Power ballads “Torn to Pieces” and “Silence & Scars” pass by in their respective album slots, leaving their taillights to fade into the night. When Pop Evil keeps the guitars loud, hair flailing while their heads dive down on every backbeat and Chachi Riot’s drums blasting away, Onyx works to perfection. Pop Evil has achieved that rare balance between producing a metal album that doesn’t rely on horror- movie fright wig gimmickry while still bringing intensity, chops and emotion.

In the same way that Sevendust incorporated electronic doodads on Black Out the Sun, Pop Evil does the same on Onyx. Unlike their tour mates though, they make the electronica work for the songs. The blurps and hot chip beats don’t hang off Onyx’s songs like misplaced Christmas ornaments.

It all comes together on the album’s fine “Welcome to Reality,” which might be the better song than “Trenches.” The album flies out on “Flawed,” an unflawed number sprawled over a bed of sampled strings and lightly sprinkled with keyboard raindrops. It builds and builds, and then ends with the huffing noises of some musical engine running out of steam. It’s an appropriate finish considering how hard Pop Evil has stoked the machine to punch out Onyx. --- Todd Lyons, heavymetal.about.com

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