POP EVIL: What Remains (HEAVY METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

For some years now, the Americans of Pop Evil have been following a well-established set of specifications to the letter: each release features radically different cover art, shorter and shorter albums, and increasingly aggressive and powerful content. This eighth album is not about to change that.

“What Remains” confirms Pop Evil's desire to harden their tone and move towards ever more extreme music. It's no surprise that Hayley Cramer's resolutely heavy metal drumming has been replaced by the more versatile Blake Allison. Pop Evil's music remains modern, the guitars incisive, but the rhythmic plans are much more inspired by metalcore than before, with an omnipresent double pedal that weighs down the majority of tracks. The best examples are ‘What Remains’, ‘Criminal’ and above all ‘Deathwalk’, which features an interesting and rather complex drum pattern for the neophyte.

But don't panic, Pop Evil is still Pop Evil. The choruses are still very melodic, the songs are sprinkled with electro effects and the more extreme aspects, particularly in terms of the screamed vocals, are still limited, so that those who are resistant to the genre won't be too badly treated. The unique power ballad ‘Wishful Thinking’, ‘Side Effects’ and ‘Enough is Enough’ are typical Pop Evil tracks, certainly reassuring but without any real flavor, as is ‘Overkill’, inspired by nu metal and a tribute to the bands that made the genre's heyday. Staying on the subject of influences, some will point to the Beastie Boys in the verses of ‘The Bullet That Missed’, or to Imagine Dragons in the melodic construction of ‘Knife For The Butcher’.

Coming close to metalcore bands like Architects without ever reaching their intensity or brutality, Pop Evil is a solid alternative for those who like aggressiveness without the more extreme aspects. It's just a shame that “What Remains” contains so few hits. The walls of guitar (no solo), the heaviness of the rhythm and the tightly-focused compositional work make the album rather monolithic, leaving no memorable impression despite several listens. Pop Evil's desire to overload its music at all costs has all but forgotten the very essence of its sound: the sensitivity. - Official website

POP EVIL

WHAT REMAINS

MNRK MUSIC GROUP

HEAVY METAL