Pop Evil Tears Your Heart Out Methodically

I know this is a standard question we get any day of the week but are you looking for a song that sounds like lowering a loved one's body into the ground. In some twisted way our prayers have been answered. "Torn To Pieces", a heavy hearted slow shock to the system emanating from Grand Rapids Michigan's very own Pop Evil fills that heretofore missing bill. Since it clocks in at a mere 3:19 you'd better off categorizing this effort as pulling off a Band Aid in slo-mo. In rock music there's lots positive to be said about good old fashioned syllable articulation. Lead vocalist Leigh Kakaty got the message going in. You're unlikely to sit in your listening nook, hung up by stung silence, and not know intimately Leigh's angst. When maple syrup pours slowly what you get in return is the breathless anticipation of flapjacks given a sticky sweet boost you'll gobble up as if they weren't whipping them up anymore. When "Torn To Pieces" unfolds, a slow car wreck that meets the needs of the acutely voyeuristic what you're left with is the transferred glass shards around your bleeding heart. Nick Fuelling plays not just sympathies but also guitar slices meant to maximize cosmic impact. That's proof blistering rock doesn't have to soar from a studio processed launch point. It's not until the chorus when Nick shifts octane levels from salt rubbing delicate chord sequences to blade under the skin agony. In the meantime Leigh is tormented by the face connected to the body he knows isn't coming back. His faltering manhood is in question here. Will he ever evolve or will he be reduced to a sub-par simian who defined productive hours by the number of pretzels he manages to free from their slavery between the couch cushions? Funeral procession where the knife blade blood hasn't clotted yet. For the most part the song is conducted in the often selected, somber, it's never sunny A minor chord. Somehow if there was a contest for Most Tormented Male Rock Performance, Pop Evil would be on the nomination ballot on the strength of this song alone. Poor Leigh can barely breathe. He screams his perceived inadequacies to the heavens. The worst part of such self-loathing is the male may be blind to the reality that his best really was good enough. In a grief-stricken state, logic flies right out the lavishly endowed rock star's penthouse window. I bet Leigh didn't even bring an umbrella. He's catching pneumonia encouraged death while choking on the salt of his tears. Drummer Chachi Riot (AKA: Josh Marunde) doesn't have to apply much physical exertion to kick this abandoned lover. Persistent taps get the job done easily. Matt DiRito's bass stretches out the thunderhead clouds making it easy for Nick to agitate the paralyzing storm from his alto end of the spectrum. Having a one track mind allows "Torn To Pieces" to maintain a focus point. No life altering wound is ignored. No nasty scar is swept under the rug. What I haven't revealed up to now is whether I enjoy the song artistically. Truthfully I'm going with no, not really. The harshness of Leigh's voice has been better utilized by bands like Shinedown or, horror of horrors (to the people who can't stand Chad Kroeger anyway) Nickelback. I don't fault Pop Evil for being savvy enough to grab the blueprint and run like demons. The glaring error lies in sticking with one flavor of meat on bones that are already caving under the weight of their, as Leigh amply spotlights in the repeated verses, misery. I give the nod to Nick's haunting fade away riff, but to the detriment of the band the smolder comes too late to merit my recommending the song as something you must download or risk looking stupid in the eyes of your peer group. "Torn To Pieces" can be found on the band's "Onyx" LP. I'm not so torn about my verdict. "Torn To Pieces" is one track wired to leave you crushed beyond recognition. Let's place some tasteful roses on the gravestone and move on.