Poppy: Empty Hands
Poppy’s seventh studio album, ‘Empty Hands’, is a defining evolution of her artistry — one that reaffirms her place within the modern metalcore landscape while pushing the guttural elements further than its predecessor. It’s a sonic continuation that refines her experimental instincts, balancing abrasive textures with her unmistakable soundscape and devastating banshee screams. This record doesn’t just reach new heights; it cements Poppy as a powerhouse within the scene.
Reuniting once again with producer Jordan Fish, Poppy delivers an album that feels like a perfected version of her aesthetic while still pushing forward vocally and compositionally. Her versatility — already proven through standout features and collaborations — has fully matured into a confident, uncompromising identity. With her EU/UK tour running through April and an upcoming supporting run with Evanescence, ‘Empty Hands’ makes it clear why she continues to dominate hard rock and metal charts alike.
The album opens with ‘Public Domain’, an industrial assault rooted deeply in Poppy’s cryptic origins. Taiko-inspired war drums establish a militant rhythm with unrelenting force. Vocally, she pivots seamlessly between robotic industrial delivery and polished pop-era melodies, creating controlled chaos that feels intentional rather than nostalgic. Lyrically, it’s a playful yet confrontational anthem aimed squarely at doubters and spectators alike.
“I'm watching from the ledges, keep a distance on the fences
Where the masochists and nihilists are
See them salivating
While their faces lose their shape and
All that's real is getting way too bizarre”
‘Bruised Sky’ follows with violent precision, alternating between guttural ferocity and piercing banshee screams before melting into crystal-clear hooks. The track recalls early-2000s experimental nu-metal, pairing massive mid-riff breakdowns with catchy choruses. Its darker lyrical undertones echo earlier work while pushing into heavier territory, leading seamlessly into ‘Guardian’.
“The only way to cope
Is to see you as a disease
Insisting to resolve
Resisting every prophecy
Get it off of me”
‘Guardian’ expands that tension with crushing, crystalline vocal energy. Dense, suffocating riffs mirror the lyrical weight as Poppy’s vocals push and pull between control and collapse. There’s a sense of defiance embedded here—less about safety and more about survival—before the album fractures briefly with ‘Constantly Nowhere’, a short industrial interlude that resets the atmosphere.
“When all the gods lose faith, the cities laid to waste
I will be there, I'll be your guardian
You're in my every breath, I'll give you all that I have left
But I'll be there, I'll be your guardian”
That payoff lands with ‘Unravel’, driven by emotional self-exposure. The vocals are raw and unguarded, stripping away the Poppy persona entirely. The instrumentation pulls inward, allowing her voice to unravel over jagged rhythms, with banshee screams amplifying the emotional anguish. It transitions naturally into ‘Dying to Forget’, one of the album’s heaviest, breakdown-driven tracks. Anger and exhaustion collide with crushing intensity, creating a sense of desperation that never fully resolves. The lyrics are sharp and direct, with relentless drumming carrying the emotional screams into an explosive finish.
“For a heretic, you got a lot to say
But you're the motherfucker in my way
Drain out the poison, now tell me what remains
Rot in your piss in your shallow grave”
‘Time Will Tell’ offers brief relief through pop-leaning choruses without releasing the tension. It remains melodic yet unresolved, with a creeping inevitability woven throughout. Its breakdowns recall BABYMETAL’s ‘from me to you’ feature, with rapid crescendos complementing rapid-fire screams. That unease erupts into “Eat the Hate,” a short, venomous burst of aggression and a throwback to her alt-punk roots — pure adrenaline placed perfectly after the previous track.
‘The Wait’ and ‘If We’re Following the Light’ stand as some of the album’s most expansive and emotionally resonant moments, gradually layering melody, heaviness and fully displayed synths.‘Ribs’ follows as a visceral standout. Its restrained heaviness and raw lyricism linger long after it ends, with mellow riffs invoking melancholy and yearning. Poppy’s vocals are at their most vulnerable, never letting go until the final note.
“And I can nеver see you as the same again
I bеar the shadow of my mind, I sink into the scene to hide
All the color is a mess, is there a means? Is there an end to this?”
The album closes with its title track, ‘Empty Hands’, a culmination of everything built throughout the record. It’s a haunting throwback to ‘suffocate’ — resigned, powerful and brutal. The bass and drums set a relentless tempo inspired by Knocked Loose, while crystal vocals cut through slow melodic sections. Ending on a deep growl, the track leaves space for reflection and reinforces themes of loss, endurance and self-reclamation.
“Our ill-fated dreams
Open doors to nowhere that I haven't been
In the scene
The gnashing of my teeth
The fiddling of insanity
Now what's become of you
Is lurking under me”
‘Empty Hands’ is not just another continuation chapter in Poppy’s career — it’s a focused album that refines her current industrial experimental metal soundscape. It proves that her evolution isn’t driven by trend or shock value, but by an unwavering commitment to growth and experimentation. This is an album that embraces darkness without glamorizing it, that finds strength in vulnerability, and that solidifies Poppy as one of the most compelling forces in modern metalcore music.