POP EVIL

POP EVIL

Skeletons

Don’t take Skeletons as something macabre or negative. For Pop Evil, the title of their seventh album simply serves as a mission statement. “First, it’s about our musical identity,” says frontman Leigh Kakaty, who co-founded Pop Evil in 2001 in North Muskegon, Michigan. “This is about us as a band stripping everything down to the bones. It’s more uptempo, it’s got bigger riffs, and we’re trying to capture the energy of our live show.”

“But it’s also a positive message,” he adds. “I know it’s a morbid visual, but behind every skeleton, there’s a story and something worth talking about. Overall, it’s about looking at something in a positive way. And I’m excited for everyone to hear that.”

For the band’s seventh album, Kakaty and his bandmates (lead guitarist Nick Fuelling, rhythm guitarist Dave Grahs, bassist Joey “Chicago” Walser, and drummer Hayley Cramer) certainly channel some pent-up energy stemming from the last two years of general world chaos. It’s an intense album — both sonically and lyrically — that still finds ways to bring in melodic and uplifting moments.

Skeletons sees the band once again working with producer Drew Fulk (Disturbed, Papa Roach, Motionless in White), a friend and collaborator on a few previous albums. “With Versatile, we had a bunch of producers, but for this album, we just wanted to work with one person and get back to our roots,” says Kakaty. “There’s an energy he and I have, and he’s been great at helping us build these songs and work around some collective themes.”