Pop Evil burned up the charts with their single “Eye of the Storm” earlier this year, so you had to figure it was only a matter of time until an album followed. Now we have news from the band that their seventh studio album, Skeletons, will arrive on March 17 next year.
The 11-song set features, of course, “Eye of the Storm,” along with the recently released “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)” with the band also serving up a new video for their latest single to coincide with the album announcement. The clip finds frontman Leigh Kakaty in a futuristic universe continually trying to reach out to his female companion who always just seems just out of reach.
Director Jensen Noen says, “During tough times, our minds can easily wander into dark places. It can feel like you’re drowning in a sea of paranoia. But no matter how bad things get, there’s always hope. There is always a way to escape from our minds. We just need to find the right key to unlock the door.”
As for the song itself, Kakaty offers, “It’s about the voices in our head — we all have ‘em, but do we act on them? It’s a cautionary tale, about processing those voices in a positive way.” Get a closer look at the video and lyrics below.
Pop Evil, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)” Official Video
Pop Evil, “Paranoid (Crash & Burn)” Lyrics
MADNESS
IT’S ALL THAT I CAN BREATHE UNDER THE ASHES
THE SCARS FROM MY PAST ARE LIKE MATCHES
SOAKED IN KEROSENE-NOW
EVERYONE CAN SEERESTLESS
I’M BURIED IN THE CLOUDS, BUT I’M WEIGHTLESS
THERE’S BLOOD IN MY MOUTH
I CAN TASTE IT
I’M STARTING TO BELIEVE
THE VOICES INSIDE OF MEWILL YOU PULL ME OUT OF THE DARK
WHEN I’M FALLIN’
FALLING APART DEAD INSIDE
I DON’T KNOW HOW IT ALL BEGAN
AND I DON’T WANT IT ALL TO END ME
THE VOICE IN MY HEAD IS A THREAT
PARANOIDVOICES
SCREAMING IN MY FACE IN THE DARKNESS
FALLING FROM THE SKY, LIKE ASHES
NOW IT’S MY TURN
I’M ABOUT TO CRASH
CRASH AND BURNI PUSHED YOU OUT TO KEEP IT INSIDE
THE VOICE IN MY HEAD IS A THREAT
LIE AWAKE, STILL WONDERING WHY
THE VOICE IN MY HEAD IS A THREATGET OUT OF MY HEAD
As for the new album, the Drew Fulk-produced Skeletons album will be released through MNRK Heavy on March 17. The 11-track album will feature guest turns by Fit for a King‘s Ryan Kirby on “Dead Reckoning,” a track brought to the table by Devour the Day‘s Joey “Chicago” Walser, and “Wrong Direction,” a song featuring guest vocals by Devour the Day’s Blake Allison.
Kakaty says of the forthcoming album, “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. 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.” Pre-orders are available at this location.
Pop Evil will also be hitting the road to support the new album in 2023. Their “Skeletons” tour featuring special guests The Word Alive on select dates will kick off in mid-March, wrapping up a little over a month later in Milwaukee. All dates, cities and venues for the run can be seen below and you can get your tickets here.
And in other Pop Evil news, the group has partnered with Heart Support to spread awareness about mental health by giving away some custom shoes created by Joey “Chicago” Walser. “We all have voices in our head that tell us lies. They say things like ‘I’m not good enough,’ ‘I’m alone,’ ‘Things will never get better,'” state the band. “These voices have the power to stop us in our tracks if we don’t fight them. We know that the first step in quieting these voices is sharing them with others and receiving encouragement.” Head here to enter to win by Dec. 12 to be in the running for the shoes.
Pop Evil, Skeletons Artwork + Track Listing
pop evil, skeletons album artwork
MNRK Heavy
1. Arrival
2. Paranoid (Crash & Burn)
3. Circles
4. Eye of The Storm
5. Sound of Glory
6. Skeletons
7. Worth It
8. Who Will We Become
9. Wrong Direction (Feat Devour the Day)
10. Dead Reckoning (Feat Fit For A King)
11. Raging Bull (Feat Zillion)
Pop Evil 2023 Tour Dates
March 17 – Sault St. Marie, Mich. @ Kewadin Casino
March 18 – Royal Oak, Mich. @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
March 19 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Jergel’s
March 21 – Lititz, Pa. @ Mickey’s Black Box *
March 23 – Worcester, Mass. @ The Palladium
March 24 – Uncasville, Ct. @ Mohegan Sun – Wolf Den +
March 25 – Waterloo, N.Y. @ Del Lago Casino *
March 26 – Jersey City, N.J. @ White Eagle Hall
March 28 – Virginia Beach, Va. @ Elevation27
March 30 – Tampa, Fla. @ Hard Rock Event Center
March 31 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse
April 01 – Charlotte, N.C. @ The Underground *
April 02 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Basement East
April 04 – Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Tower Theatre
April 05 – Dallas, Texas @ Echo Lounge & Music Hall
April 07 – Tucson, Ariz. @ Rialto Theatre
April 08 – Tempe, Ariz. @ The Marquee Theater
April 10 – Santa Ana, Calif. @ The Observatory OC
April 11 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Ace of Spades
April 12 – San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues
April 14 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ House of Blues
April 15 – Grand Junction, Colo. @ Mesa Theatre
April 16 – Denver, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre
April 18 – Lincoln, Neb. @ Bourbon Theatre
April 19 – Kansas City, Mo. @ The Truman
April 21 – Pittsburg, Kan. @ Kansas Crossing Casino
April 22 – Chicago, Ill. @ Concord Music Hall
April 23 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Rave
* The Word Alive will not be performing
+ No Support
Rescheduled UK + EU 2023 Tour
May 05 – Manchester, UK @ Rebellion
May 06 – Birmingham, UK @ Institute 2
May 07 – London, UK @ The Dome
May 09 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
May 10 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor
May 12 – Munich, DE @ Backstage Halle
May 13 – Frankfurt, DE @ Nachtleben
May 14 – Hamburg, DE @ Logo
May 15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
with Call Me Amour as support, plus Zillion
50 Best Rock + Metal Songs of 2022
Out of thousands of new rock and metal songs, these are 50 best.