99X Playlist December 2011 Top Songs

The #1 song for December is “Monster You Made” by Pop Evil.

For a band that came out of the gate singing the brawny and hard-hitting, “Hero,” the softened, heartfelt “Monster You Made” shows the guys have real dimension to their sound.

A simply, almost mournful riff opens the tune, before singer Leigh Kakaty’s comes in with the pain-soaked verse: “Take a good look at me now / Do you still recognize me? / Am I so different inside? This world is trying to change me.”

One of the reasons this track works so well is because it’s evident Pop Evil wrote from their personal viewpoint being in a successful rock band, dealing with the temptations that come with fame and popularity in the music industry: “Erase this monster I’ve become / Forgive me for all the damage done.”

“Monster You Made” is refreshing, reflective, inspiring and begs once to look at their life. What’s important? What’s shallow? The chorus shatters from Dave Grahs and Tony Greve’s impassion guitar playing, and Kakaty’s powerful vocals erupt into a propulsive cry on the final chorus, brought alive by Matt DiRito’s solid bass guitar beats and Dylan Allison’s precise percussive delivery. “Monster You Made” sounds like the perfect cap to Pop Evil’s already solid catalog of rock hits and breaks new, softer ground.