War of Angels

Audio Mixer: Johnny K.
Recording information: Grovemaster Studios, Chicago, IL.
Editor: Matt Dougherty.
Illustrator: Federico Pastor.
Photographer: Leann Mueller.
Based out of the industrial, lakeside town of Muskegon, Michigan's Pop Evil specialize in the kind of hard-hitting, relatively simplistic, AOR rock that dominates radio stations with names like "The Hammer" and "The Grind." Cut from the same pair of ripped-up jeans as acts like Hinder, Daughtry, and Nickelback, Pop Evil's sophomore effort, War of Angels, is about as solid a modern, post-grunge record as one could hope for; cuts like opener "Last Man Standing," the token ballad "Let it Go," and the vamped-up, Buckcherry-esque sex romp "Boss's Daughter" sound like they've been on modern rock radio since the late '90's -- but it breaks little new ground. ~ James Christopher Monger