Sound: 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. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: 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. // 8
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! // 8
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