Top tracks — play these first
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Waking Lions — This track serves as a rallying cry with its soaring chorus and motivational themes, effectively embodying the album's spirit of resilience and empowerment.
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Be Legendary — With its infectious hook and anthemic quality, this track highlights the band's ability to craft songs that inspire listeners while showcasing their hard rock roots.
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Ex Machina — This song blends heavy riffs with thought-provoking lyrics about technology and humanity, representing the album's exploration of contemporary issues.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album combines energetic hard rock with introspective moments, but lacks standout compositions.
What we noticed
- The first three tracks feature driving guitar riffs and anthemic choruses, establishing a high-energy opening.
- Several tracks incorporate introspective lyrics that contrast with the aggressive instrumentation, particularly in 'A Crime to Remember.'
- Composition 25% of the score
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6/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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5/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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5/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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6/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Little footprint beyond its audience. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- steady mid-tempo anthems
- introspective moments of reflection
- uplifting choruses for motivation
- consistent flow for focused listening
- for driving playlists
Maybe skip if you
- prefer fast-paced, high-energy tracks
- dislike cohesive album experiences
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 2018, Pop Evil's self-titled album marked their fifth studio effort, following their commercially successful record, 'Up,' which solidified their presence in the hard rock scene. The band was navigating a period of lineup stability with frontman Leigh Kakaty continuing to lead after a significant lineup change in previous years.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Shinedown· Breaking Benjamin· Three Days Grace
Moments worth listening for
Where the writing does something specific.
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Waking Lions
The bridge shifts from reflection to empowerment, urging listeners to rise above challenges.
This transition signals a pivotal moment in the narrative, transforming personal struggle into collective motivation.
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Waking Lions 3:52
- 2 Colors Bleed 3:45
- 3 Ex Machina 4:10
- 4 Art of War 3:42
- 5 Be Legendary 3:23
- 6 Nothing but Thieves 6:02
- 7 A Crime to Remember 3:23
- 8 God’s Dam 4:38
- 9 When We Were Young 4:24
- 10 Birds of Prey 3:12
- 11 Rewind 3:51
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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