Say what you want about modern metal, but the fusion of pop-centric melodies and more accessible writing devices with booming metalcore guitar tones and djent-style breakdowns has proven to be a successful formula: every time you look, it seems like a new face is breaking into the mainstream. Poppy has been releasing records for a decade at this point, but it was 2024’s ‘Negative Spaces’ that thrust the singer into the spotlight, earning her coveted spots at Download festival and other such events. New album ‘Empty Hands’ seeks to capitalise on that wave of momentum— even if Pereira’s sound is built on a rocky foundation, it still manages to reach some impressive heights.

As chaotic and eclectic as its various parts can be, opener ‘Public Domain’ does an excellent job bracing the listener for the dizzying mix of groaning guitars, soaring melodic choruses and tongue-in-cheek hyperpop influences that go on to make up the majority of the album. ‘Empty Hands’ would probably be a distinctly baffling experience if this combination of styles weren’t so prevalent in the metal landscape of today: as it stands, the record is an honest-to-god follow-up to ‘Negative Spaces,’ drawing on all the same tropes and tricks that made that project so successful. At least as far as this first track goes, the execution betrays just how uneven some of this genre-hopping can be— ‘Public Domain’ has its fingers in far too many pies, trying desperately to mash its Trent Reznor-esque industrial riffs and irritating ‘sing-song’ verses together. The song is no abject failure, mostly on the part of Poppy’s confident vocal delivery in the chorus, as well as the impressively cinematic ending the track goes on to develop: still, it’s easy to feel like the boat is being rocked right from the off.

Pereira’s greatest failing as an artist is her inability to justify the genre fusion that’s become so pivotal to her sound— though ‘Empty Hands’ has its fair share of highlights (as we’ll be sure to gush about in due course), they flourish in spite of their presentation and not because of it. Poppy’s talents lie in her melodies, and her ability to craft hooks that stick with you long after the song has finished: once the title track comes to a close at the end of the album, it’s the choruses that you’ll remember, and not the waves of bland, stock-standard guitar blasts continually thrown your way. Songs like ‘Bruised Sky’ and ‘Unravel’ see those pointedly processed vocals almost completely disconnected from the metal instrumentation underneath, leaving us wondering whether Pereira might see more success with a straightforward hyperpop sound. Even if the odd riff works in isolation— ‘Dying To Forget’ is almost comically aggressive before its breakdowns grind the song to a halt— the overall package feels lost in amongst the loudness war that is modern alternative music. Whenever the guitars take centre stage, as they unfortunately do on lowlight ‘Eat The Hate,’ you can practically hear the quantised tracks being stripped of all human touch and nuance.

That’s a hefty amount of criticism: wasn’t this meant to be a somewhat positive review? It says a lot that, even having voiced those concerns over the general direction of ‘Empty Hands,’ we’ve still found ourselves enjoying a decent amount of the material on offer here— Poppy’s affinity for excellent melodies and strong song craft works double time here to save and uplift a number of highlights. Single ‘Guardian’ is a tried-and-true ear worm that puts all its eggs in the basket of its gigantic chorus, and that’s no bad thing when that chorus is so memorable and endearing. Pereira takes on a number of voices throughout the record— mostly notably drawing on collaborators Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose and Amy Lee of Evanescence— and its her sleek clean vocals that steal the show time and time again. There’s an inarguable efficiency to the melodies of ‘The Wait’ and ‘If We’re Following The Light’ that speaks to a songwriter in her prime: the latter of the two is an especially wonderful standout, with its hazy verses ringing true of a band like Loathe. Somehow, some way, Poppy’s writing pulls through when all is said and done, rescuing ‘Ribs’ and ‘Bruised Sky’ completely.

‘Empty Hands’ is an album that shouldn’t work: when your main gimmick of fusing modern pop and metal falls flat, everything else should crumble with that foundation. Tell that to the supremely enjoyable choruses on ‘Guardian,’ Unravel,’ ‘Time Will Tell,’ ‘Ribs’ and more, though. Pereira continues to present her tracks is a manner that undercuts them, but the songs themselves are hardy enough to survive thanks to the undeniable vocal talents and writing chops she brings to the table. Even if we wish the final package was a little less ham-fisted, we can’t deny that as far as the modern wave of metal artists is concerned, Poppy is one of the acts leading the charge— almost despite ourselves, we’re interested to see where she goes next.