It Was Worth The Wait: Poppy Empty Hands Album Review

By Kayla Harper 

American singer/songwriter Poppy released her latest album, Empty Hands, today (January 23, 2026), solidifying her previously established place in the metal genre.  Poppy’s transition to metal was gradual and sprinkled deliberately throughout many previous albums building up to this moment, her heaviest project yet.  Empty Hands exceeds that of any modern metal artists, landing Poppy among classics in the nu-metal genre, fitting in seamlessly with the likes of Slipknot and Soilwork.  Poppy and her band have earned themselves the respect given to classic metal acts and Empty Hands demands it.

Empty Hands finds strength in weakness and throughout the album we see the progression of someone left with absolutely nothing build themselves back up; re-learning a new version of themselves, reclaiming their identity and seeking their revenge in the process.

 

1. “Public Domain” 

Sonically Empty Hands opens with a hauntingly borderline post-apocalyptic tone that carries throughout the entire record -as if one has just woken up in the ashes of the world they knew and are using everything they have left to build their walls back up.  The drums are less trusting, unforgiving, guitars vengeful and full of spite, but nonetheless more protective, stronger and braver. “Public Domain” sets up this tone and thematic approach for the rest of the record, it’s lyrically confrontational, socially and politically critical.

 

2. “Bruised Sky” 

The second promotional single from Empty Hands, “Bruised Sky”, searches for hope in a desolate wasteland that only mocks the very concept of it. However, within this is a reclamation of power in the decision to continue to search for the light and resist the darkness.  “Bruised Sky” is a perfect example of Poppy’s seamless vocal transitions from singing to screaming over top of alarming prominent guitars and bold, heavy drums which demand respect and attention.  It fits right in with classic 90s/2000s metal staples.

 

3. “The Guardian” 

“The Guardian” is an excellent example of how heavy music often has a more positive/soft undertone than most people think; finding strength in the double kicks and fills, passion in the distorted guitars and stability in the bassline. “The Guardian” is the kind of loyalty that sits beside you in the most uncomfortable trenches through the darkest nights and most violent of storms.  When it has nothing, it takes what little it finds and gives it to you instead.  It’s the kind of devotion that is eternal, but can only be broken once; a flame that once burned out cannot be rekindled.

 

4. “Constantly Nowhere” 

“Constantly Nowhere” is an atmospheric, introspective interlude bridging the introduction of the album with the next chapter; it feels as if we are choosing to move forward rather than remain in the same place. While it lacks instrumentally compared to the rest of the album, the flawless multi-octave vocal layering makes up for this.

 

5. “Unravel” 

Flowing out of “Constantly Nowhere”, “Unravel” is the lead single from Empty Hands. An inciting instrumental, “Unravel” thrives on the emotional collapse, balancing on the tension between our desire to hold ourselves together and are inability to do so, providing a beautiful contrast between vulnerability and strength, giving them a place to coexist. “Unravel” was the perfect gateway from Poppy’s previous release, Negative Spaces, calling back to songs like “the cost of giving up”, “vital” and “have you had enough?”, confirming her sonic stance in the metal genre.

 

6. “Dying To Forget”

In “Unravel” we are on the brink of something, “Dying To Forget” falls off the tightrope into the action.  It is vicious and confrontational, but not from a reactive place; it’s the result of betrayal, the release of tension and the reclamation of the parts of oneself given up to someone unworthy. Everything about this song was reminiscent of Slipknot, especially their earlier records. From the undeniably heavy drums placed front and center in the song’s production, moving rhythmically -switching seamlessly as Poppy does from singing to screaming- to the guitars adding their own melodically distorted personality to the track.  Above all else, it was the lyricism and vocal delivery that felt most reflective of Slipknot’s frontman, Corey Taylor’s style.  Not in a way that feels unoriginal, but rather in a way that feels inspired and sits proudly among them.

 

7. “Time Will Tell” 

There seems to be a sense of letting go in “Time Will Tell” that results from trust residing in the karmic-nature of life. There’s an almost artsy element to the flow of the drums throughout the verses into the chorus, giving it a more optimistic tone, complimented by the guitars which feel aggressive, but bright, playing into the emotional release of leaving the fate of someone’s wrongdoing in the universes hands and trusting that you’re taken care of.

 

8. “Eat The Hate” 

If negativity keeps finding it’s way into your life, why not embrace it? That’s the approach Poppy seems to take on “Eat The Hate”.  Sonically, “Eat The Hate”, seems to call back to Flux (2021), with it’s fast-paced drums, grungy guitars and the layered vocals and screams. It’s accepting the world as it is and choosing to be in control of your reactions to it; it doesn’t have to get to you if you don’t let it.

 

9. ” The Wait” 

There’s an interesting sparkly synth contrasting the heaviness of the rest of the record in “The Wait”; rather than trying to regain lost strength like the preceding tracks do, “The Wait”, allows delicacy to thrive in it’s lyrically introspective nature and foundational instrumental that holds it together.  It feels like a confession of ones emotional state, existing in a place of contemplation; left with questions on where to go next, transitioning seamlessly into the next track.

 

10. “If We’re Following The Light” 

“If We’re Following The Light” is the exhale following “The Wait”, decisive and set on a direction to follow. Determined to persevere, the lyrics do their best to balance atop the punchy drumbeat, emphasizing the mental fight to stay emotionally afloat. “If We’re Following The Light” doesn’t just seek connection, it craves it; holds onto it with the kind of devotion that fights against any and all odds; the kind of loyalty that commits itself across time and distance.

 

11. “Blink”

“Blink” is the second interlude on the album, and acts as another transitional piece, but also introductory to the next track, “Ribs”.  It’s distorted atmosphere mimics the confusion of feeling misplaced from oneself and the shifting of identities in the wake of formative revelations.

 

12. “Ribs” 

“Ribs” picks up from “Blink”, strong and heavy, fast-paced drums and satisfying fills ground the track in place. The guitars echo the sense of being forever changed; permanently altered to the extent you can’t recognize yourself or somebody else.  Despite attempts to let go, “Ribs” addresses the experiences and people that will sit with you eternally, for better or for worse. Throughout the growing instrumental chaos, is the fight to redefine ourselves in the wake of becoming someone new.

 

13. “Empty Hands” 

The title track and final track of the album, “Empty Hands”, puts the heaviest songs on Poppy’s previous albums to shame, almost mocking them.  The speed of the double kicks alone reduces black metal drum legends to mere child’s-play.  “Empty Hands” garners all the emotions that have been built up on every previous track, turning them into strength. The way the heavy instrumental pulls back for the verses and carefully builds itself back up again seems to represent the lack of emotional constraint in the lyrics; nothing can or should be contained, the truth, or the drums.  It all falls out into a chaotically distinct declaration of self-reclamation.