by Reggie Edwards
Pop Evil is one of those bands who continue to pick up steam with each album. Their fanbase is growing rapidly and their upcoming third record, Onyx, due out May 14, already has a top 10 single on active rock radio in ”Trenches.”
The band couldn’t be more stoked for the release as frontman Leigh Kakaty sat down with The Front Row Report to talk about the record, saying the band hasn’t really been able to enjoy Onyx yet because, just like the fans, their waiting for the release date.
With Onyx, Pop Evil worked and worked to make sure the next chapter in the evolution of the band was told. They were also finally able to make the album they wanted to and were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted, making it a finely tuned rock album.
“It’s been a long journey, a lot of road testament,” Kakaty says. “The first two albums it seemed like there were a lot of people telling us what to do and, of course, we were in a position not to argue that because we didn’t have anything so of course we wanted to our peers and our manager and our label to try and make everyone happy.
“For this record it was for the first time…because of the previous success of the first two albums, with this album we wanted to make an album we wanted to do and getting to experiment with sounds and different instruments that we weren’t allowed to try last time just because of time constraints, just cuz of producer moves,” explains Kakaty.
This time around, their label and management let the band do what they wanted, giving them the satisfaction and feeling that Onyx is their best record yet. With Onyx, the tracks flow beautifully into one another, allowing the listener to play from start to finish without stopping.
“We spent a lot of time putting together a record you could listen starting from the first track to the last track, just listen to it all the way through and it would take you on a journey, tell our story and take you to the different emotions that’s life,” says Kakaty. “That’s basically our story- since War of Angels ended to now it’s basically our journey and the life lessons we’ve learned along that way.”
Pop Evil’s last two records- Lipstick in the Mirror and War of Angels produced some immensely successful songs, catapulted them to stardom and landed them on some very big tours, festivals and playing with some great bands.
The last thing they wanted to do on Onyx, Kakaty says, was regurgitate songs they’ve already written before.
“That’s where a lot of the experimentation came,” he explains, “as far as, I can speak from the lyrical standpoint, I wanted to make sure I was touching on topics that were a little dangerous but all the people we’ve met on the road, our fans, deal with some pretty complicated situations and it’s important to have the leader and frontman of a rock and roll band take chances and write songs that can help the generation and future generations and generations to come.
“It’s important to take that stand and that’s something Pop Evil was willing to risk on this album.”
![\"Pop](\"http://thefrontrowreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Pop-Evil.jpg\")
by Reggie Edwards
Pop Evil is one of those bands who continue to pick up steam with each album. Their fanbase is growing rapidly and their upcoming third record, Onyx, due out May 14, already has a top 10 single on active rock radio in ”Trenches.”
The band couldn’t be more stoked for the release as frontman Leigh Kakaty sat down with The Front Row Report to talk about the record, saying the band hasn’t really been able to enjoy Onyx yet because, just like the fans, their waiting for the release date.
With Onyx, Pop Evil worked and worked to make sure the next chapter in the evolution of the band was told. They were also finally able to make the album they wanted to and were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted, making it a finely tuned rock album.
“It’s been a long journey, a lot of road testament,” Kakaty says. “The first two albums it seemed like there were a lot of people telling us what to do and, of course, we were in a position not to argue that because we didn’t have anything so of course we wanted to our peers and our manager and our label to try and make everyone happy.
“For this record it was for the first time…because of the previous success of the first two albums, with this album we wanted to make an album we wanted to do and getting to experiment with sounds and different instruments that we weren’t allowed to try last time just because of time constraints, just cuz of producer moves,” explains Kakaty.
This time around, their label and management let the band do what they wanted, giving them the satisfaction and feeling that Onyx is their best record yet. With Onyx, the tracks flow beautifully into one another, allowing the listener to play from start to finish without stopping.
“We spent a lot of time putting together a record you could listen starting from the first track to the last track, just listen to it all the way through and it would take you on a journey, tell our story and take you to the different emotions that’s life,” says Kakaty. “That’s basically our story- since War of Angels ended to now it’s basically our journey and the life lessons we’ve learned along that way.”
Pop Evil’s last two records- Lipstick in the Mirror and War of Angels produced some immensely successful songs, catapulted them to stardom and landed them on some very big tours, festivals and playing with some great bands.
The last thing they wanted to do on Onyx, Kakaty says, was regurgitate songs they’ve already written before.
“That’s where a lot of the experimentation came,” he explains, “as far as, I can speak from the lyrical standpoint, I wanted to make sure I was touching on topics that were a little dangerous but all the people we’ve met on the road, our fans, deal with some pretty complicated situations and it’s important to have the leader and frontman of a rock and roll band take chances and write songs that can help the generation and future generations and generations to come.
“It’s important to take that stand and that’s something Pop Evil was willing to risk on this album.”
