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Showing posts with label Pop Evil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pop Evil. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Pop Evil Announce 2019 US Headline Tour Dates
Monday, April 2, 2018
Concert Review: Pop Evil - March 24, 2018
On a chilled Saturday night, I drove to the Starland
Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, to see Pop Evil’s perform as a headlining
act. They were touring behind their latest self-titled release and I was
excited to hear some of the new songs in concert. I was also excited to see
this band live again, as it had been over a year since the last time I witnessed
their magnificent concert.
I arrived early to see the opening acts, as I like to do,
and was rewarded with a real treat. The first act of the night was a New Jersey
based band called Ronin and they were exceptional. If you get a chance to see
this band live, do yourself a favor and do it! I was so impressed by their
quick set that I wanted to hear a longer performance. Alas, that was not going
to happen. They gave a short, impressive, opening set and then it was time for
the next act.
The next two bands of the night were just not for me.
They weren’t awful, and they had stage presence, but I just wasn’t into their
music. Perhaps it was the anticipation of Pop Evil coming on later, perhaps it
was that Ronin had set the bar so high, but whatever the reason, I did not care
for the next two acts. I kept an open mind, but I won’t be seeking out music
from either of those bands.
As for the main treat of the night, Pop Evil was incredible
as always. Although I did like their performance last year more than this year.
If for no other reason than the fact that last year’s show was longer with more
songs. I did think it was odd that Pop Evil was only playing 16 songs on this
tour. That’s small for a headliner and the entire show was only 75 minutes. If
they were co-headlining with someone, I would get that, but they were on their
own. They should have given us 85-90 minutes and 19-20 songs. That was the only
complaint I had though. Pop Evil has honed their live show through endless,
rigorous touring, and they are a well-oiled machine that just knows how to give
a performance.
And for me, it was a chance to release my inner rock
demons. Where else can a corporate 9-5 guy go to unleash his pain by screaming
“Be Legendary” and “Take It All” at the top of his lungs? Not to mention random
high fives by strange dudes. That’s the power of rock and roll. It is an
intense feeling that when let out into the night can be as powerful as anything
in the human experience. Due to the maximum volume of the speakers, I was able
to scream as loud as my diaphragm would allow and not bother anyone around me.
And sing-screaming along with my Pop Evil favorites was a cleansing experience.
It felt so damn good to rock that hard for an hour and change. And I was
grinning the entire time.
Ten years of Pop Evil and they are still going strong. The
setlist consisted of a few songs from the first two records and a large dose of
the later hits as well as a good amount of songs from their latest release. “Hero”
and “Monster You Made” got huge ovations and reactions from the crowd,
rightfully so. They are two of the bands most beloved songs and always sound
exceptional in concert.
“Silence and Scars” was the highlight of the night for
me. I absolutely love that song and it was the first time that I got to hear it
live. They did the song justice with a wonderful performance. I was on top of
the world by the time the song was over.
Hearing “100 in a 55” brought back memories of the first
time I ever saw the band. It was in that very building, although the layout was
much different. Starland Ballroom had a facelift a few years ago and the
design, while similar, is much more open than it was when Pop Evil first
started performing there. Thinking back to the night I first saw the band filled
me with joy. I could remember hearing “100 in a 55” for the first time and
watching people sing along to it. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, these
guys are great. And look how many people know this song. This band is something
special.” That song cemented the decision for me to go buy their first album.
It was one of the best music decisions I’ve ever made.
Pop Evil came once again, conquered once again, and
kicked serious ass once again. I am already looking forward to the next time that
I will see them live again, even though I have no idea when that is going to
be. Hopefully it will be sooner than a year from now, but whenever it is, I
know it’s going to be a fabulous night of real rock and roll!
Setlist
Ways To Get High
Boss’ Daughter
Torn To Pieces
Waking Lions
Ex Machina
Deal With The Devil
Nothing But Thieves
Hero
Art Of War
Monster You Made
Silence and Scars
Be Legendary
Take It All
Encore
100 in a 55
Footsteps
Trenches
Sunday, February 18, 2018
CD Review: Pop Evil - Pop Evil
It has been a while since there has been a CD review here
at The Rock And Roll Guru. There are
several reasons for this, time being one of the biggest. But when a new Pop
Evil record was announced, I knew that I had to write a review for this one. I
have been with this band since their earliest days and they have been one of my
favorites since the night I first learned of their existence. Hard working, dedicated, hit making machines that are constantly on
tour, Pop Evil is one of the greatest modern rock bands around.
I am certain I say this every time Pop Evil puts out a
new album, but they just get better with each release. Pop Evil is the latest incarnation of greatness from this little
band that could. The record is filled with uplifting messages of hope and peace
and belief in yourself, something that is usually at the core of good hard rock
records. It is why fans are so drawn to the music in the first place, it makes
them believe that they can achieve anything. Pop Evil is at the forefront of
that inspirational type of music and their self-titled release is further proof.
Pop Evil is the
first album to be recorded with new drummer Hayley Cramer. Chachi Riot brought
a crazy and intense drumming method to Pop Evil that was fun to watch live.
When he announced his departure from the band it was a huge disappointment, but
Cramer, an animal in her own right, has filled in nicely and won over fans. Her
drumming style is different than Riot’s, but her timing and ability is just as
grand. She has been a wonderful replacement. Cramer was a great find for Pop
Evil and after being on the road with the band for a while, she got to show off
her work in the studio setting with Pop Evil.
The end result shows that she is a valuable asset to this band.
The first single from this album was the hard hitting “Waking
Lions.” Filled with signature Pop Evil sounds and styles, “Waking Lions” is a
fantastic song about awakening the beast within to overcome challenges and
achieve all the dreams that are possible in life with hard work and
perseverance. This is something that Pop Evil is familiar with. They are a band
that has built an immense, devoted following based on the strength of their
music and their endless touring. They
know how to awaken the beast within. “Waking Lions” shows the high end of lead
singer Leigh Kakaty’s vocals which sound as majestic as ever. Kakaty’s voice is
powerful on this track and makes the music soar.
I will admit that I do miss guitarist Tony Greve, but
Nick Fueling is a master in his own right. He’s been with the band for as many
years as Tony was and has now played on more albums than Greve. Nick’s style
helped propel the band in directions they may not have otherwise gone in. While Greve was more of a hard and heavy
style of guitarist (in the vein of Pantera), Fueling is more of a modern rock
guitarist ala Shinedown or Nickelback. Fueling’s style is a better fit for this
incarnation of Pop Evil and since he joined the band they have gravitated
toward that modern sound that will fill arenas with fans and win over
newcomers.
Uplifting and inspiring, the track “Be Legendary” is
destined to be another top 5 single for a band that is filled with them. This
song could almost be a sequel to “Waking Lions.” “Be Legendary” contains positive
messages of always giving only your best and pushing yourself to be a legend.
It’s songs like this one that make Pop Evil such a fun and admirable band to
listen to. They don’t wallow in self-pity or cry over life’s tragedies. Instead
the band promotes ways to overcome hardship and inspire all to lift themselves
up and achieve the best that they can. These themes started way back on War Of Angels and were fleshed out on
the following releases. Pop Evil have gotten to the point where they have honed
their skills in this type of songwriting and can really inspire not only the
youth of today but those that are middle aged as well. We should all strive to
be legendary indeed.
One of the most unique and innovative songs that Pop Evil
has ever recorded is contained on this new release. “Nothing But Thieves” is a six-minute
gem that works al different types of tones and musical styles not normally
known in Pop Evil’s music. This branching out for the band was a bit of a risk,
but one that worked well as “Nothing But Thieves” is probably the best song on Pop Evil and could be one of the best
songs the band has ever recorded. It starts slowly with chimes and keyboards
and then builds in intensity until exploding at the 2-minute mark proclaiming
that we know what it’s like and we make mistakes in being right or wrong,
branding ourselves nothing but thieves. “Nothing But Thieves” combines so much
into one song which is what makes it so powerful. Fueling’s guitar solo at the
end is magnificent and completes the song in a majestic way. After hearing “Nothing
But Thieves” several times, it is my hope that the band will continue to experiment
with their music in this direction. The payoff is well worth the risk.
God’s Dam harkens back to early Pop Evil with Kakaty’s
voice sounding like it is 2007 all over again. The song reminds me of early,
unreleased demo tracks that Pop Evil had recorded before Lipstick On The Mirror. As far as ballads go, this one is up there
with some of the strongest that Pop Evil have recorded. Kakaty’s voice shines and
the lyrics are some of the greatest the band has written. And while “God’s Dam”
isn’t a true ballad in the sense of “Monster You Made,” or “100 In A 55,” it is
still a beautiful piece of music that fans are going to be singing along with
in concert as soon as the song is performed live.
Pop Evil has recorded another incredible album that fans
are bound to love and newcomers should welcome with open arms. The band has a
storied history for making hits and with Pop
Evil there are more hits that can be added to their repertoire. Hard
rocking and heavy as well as soft and sweet, Pop Evil hits all the right places for rock music lovers. It is an
inspirational record that is as beautiful as it is uplifting. Pop Evil soars. At this point in their
career no one really expected anything but greatness from the band and they
delivered it once again.
Ryo’s Rating: 9 (out of 10)
Track Listing
Waking Lions
Colors Bleed
Ex Machina
Art Of War
Be Legendary
Nothing But Thieves
A Crime To Remember
God’s Dam
When We Were Young
Birds Of Prey
Rewind
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