FALLING IN REVERSE

Once in a while, a band emerges that becomes more than a band. It becomes a pop culture figure. That's a great way to describe FALLING IN REVERSE. Ronnie Radke, who fronts the band, is a cult figure of sorts, with hordes of fans who hang on his every word and action. All you have to do is go on TikTok or Instagram to see all the posts singing along to FALLING IN REVERSE's music or trying to get Radke's attention. That's not to mention that band's blockbuster singles, which garner millions of streams.

Hailing from popular metalcore band, ESCAPE THE FATE, Radke formed FALLING IN REVERSE in the late 2000s, while he was serving time in prison, and the band took off. Now, the group is releasing their fifth studio album, "Popular Monster", which takes its name from the popular single.

FALLING IN REVERSE never really took a break following 2017's "Coming Home". They kept releasing one-off chart- topping singles such as "Popular Monster", "ZOMBIFIED", "Drugs" and "Watch the World Burn". That said, it's not surprising that many of the songs on "Popular Monster", the album, have already been released.

The album, from start to finish, is packed with intense, explosive uncontainable energy. Songs such as "ZOMBIFIED" and "Voices in My Head" are manic sounding, with furious guitars, fast rhythms and Radke's fiery banter. Of the songs that haven't been previously released, "Bad Guy" is the most anticipated. The song features Radke's longtime girlfriend, Saraya. Wrestling fans will know Saraya as Paige from WWE. She wrestles All Elite Wrestling (AEW) now and goes by the new name. The explosive song features Radke asserting that he's such a "bad guy," confronting all the naysayers who think he's such a bad person and calling him an "addict," "problematic," a "psycho" and more. Saraya comes in towards the end, singing the chorus, her heavy British accent is unmistakable.

This 11-track collection has a handful of previously released singles, it also features enough new material to make it a full-fledged release. As a whole one thing is consistent: Radke and company lean heavily on pop and rap influences. Songs such as "Voices In My Head" and "Watch The World Burn" could do well in the rap world, and FALLING IN REVERSE bridges a gap, much like nu-metal bands of the late-1990s and early-2000s did with their innovative music. What makes FALLING IN REVERSE's music so different from those nu-metal originators is that it's heavier and much more modern sounding.

On "Popular Monster", Radke and FALLING IN REVERSE show they're trendsetters. This release is like nothing else out there in the metalcore and post-hardcore world. Their experimentation is similar to bands such as BAD OMENS and SLEEP TOKEN in their unapologetic moves to meld pop and rap with metal. FALLING IN REVERSE truly have a sound that's all their own, and that's a treasure.