This 4th of July, Ghost Killer Entertainment dropped the third entry in their Pop Goes Hardcore series: Pop Goes Hardcore Vol. 3. This time around, we got twelve hardcore covers of pop songs courtesy of a few of Ghost Killer Entertainment's acts.
The Pop Goes Hardcore series is a passion project for Ghost Killer Entertainment. The series began in 2014 as a means to help the label's emerging artists get their names out there. The albums are labors of love, meticulously crafted to show what Ghost Killer bands can do. Recently, these kinds of albums have grown in popularity; genre-bending is in. Albums such as Fearless Records’ Punk Goes… series come to mind; a once innovative series turned sour. Punk Goes… has become predictable; the song choices are obvious, and many of the performances leave something to be desired. With nineteen albums under the Punk Goes… name, there's bound to be some quality degeneration. That should be taken as a sign that it's time to step back and let someone else have the wheel, but these genre-bending albums keep getting produced like slag runoff from a steel mill. Now, as the pool of genre-bending punk albums continues to overflow, Ghost Killer Entertainment has come back to show us how one of these records is supposed to be done.
One of the things I found most appealing about Pop Goes Hardcore Vol. 3 is its track list. These albums tend to feature greatest hits exclusively. Pop Goes Hardcore Vol. 3, on the other hand, used tracks that, while still wildly popular, aren’t the same ones we’ll be hearing on these albums time and time again. When I saw there was a Panic at the Disco! song on the album, I was floored to find it wasn’t “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”
The different subgenres each band brings to the album make it a mixed sampler of what Ghost Killer Entertainment has to offer. Kill Lonely and Saving Vice gave us screamo covers of “Big Dawgs” and “Airplanes,” respectively. Always Grounded and The Failsafe produce pop-punk versions of “Better Than Revenge” and “The Ballad of Mona Lisa,” both of which lean heavier towards the punk of pop-punk. We also got an extremely faithful cover of “Bring Me To Life” from Sorry X and Woe, Is Me. The record hops all over the place, which in this case works well and helps keep me engaged and wondering what kind of song is going to come on next.
When I first saw the track list for Pop Goes Hardcore Vol. 3, I was immediately drawn to Morning in May’s cover of “Pink Pony Club.” Chappell Roan’s pop hit had a stranglehold on the bars of Indianapolis in the summer of 2024. Whether I was shooting pool at the Alley Cat in Broad Ripple or having an uncomfortable drink at one of the many TV bars in Southport, "Pink Pony Club” was there. The song’s catchy, I like it, and I was excited to hear this cover. Morning in May did not disappoint; their version comes in hot with squealing guitars and punching drums that don't give you a chance to breathe until they’re finished with you. This cover was made to dance to after several dozen Long Island iced teas. It’s electrifying, it’s powerful; I’ll be damned if it doesn’t become an Emo Nite staple.
I was equally excited for The Failsafe’s version of “The Ballad of Mona Lisa.” Vices & Virtues was one of my favorite albums in my teenage years, and “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” may be my top pick off the record. The Failsafe’s cover is faithful to the original; it’s faster and angrier but still immediately recognizable as “The Ballad of Mona Lisa.” It’s the kind of cover you want for your live set, the perfect encore song. Ideal for whipping an audience into a frenzy before you lay down your greatest hit and then disappear off stage for the night.
Alpine Loop and BLVDES’ cover of Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” came as a pleasant surprise. I first heard Gracie Abrams when she appeared as the musical guest on season 50 of Saturday Night Live; I know I was a little behind the curve on this one. She gave a spectacular performance despite the show's audio engineers' habitual failure to set up a decent sound system for musical guests. That being said, she is a bit too folksy for my taste. I like Joan Baez and Norma Tanega as much as the next freak, but I need to be in a special mood to throw one of their records on. That gave rise to doubts about “That’s So True's” potential to be converted to a hardcore track. Those concerns were entirely misplaced. Alpine Loop and BLVDES have created a version of the song that retains the intoxicating cadence and rhythm of the original but has had the tempo kicked up several notches. It flows like a surge wave hammering into a concrete embankment, taking anything it runs into along for the ride.
I feel the need to also bring up Sorry X and Woe, Is Me’s cover of “Bring Me To Life.” What can I say about the original Evanescence version? I hate it. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! It is butt rock in its purest form, suitable only for paunchy, aging men to blast around the grill at the neighborhood cookout. I enjoyed this cover of it, though. I had a hard time figuring out what it is that makes the Sorry X and Woe, Is Me's version better than the original; they're not all that different. While writing this, I sat at my desk with the two versions playing one after the other on repeat for a solid hour, trying to work it out. I think the best thing this cover has going for it is its vocals; the duet is beautifully done. The original version is dated; it was a product of that special, edgy time in the early 2000s when bands like Three Days Grace reigned supreme. Sorry X and Woe, Is Me have updated the track, making a version that is faithful to the original but not so…antiquated sounding.
There are a dozen hits on Pop Goes Hardcore Vol. 3 for you to discover. No matter what niche of hardcore you prefer, you’ll find at least one track that’s perfect for you. All the better once you find your favorite song, you’ll have a whole catalog by that band to go listen to. This album is a great way to find new hardcore artists, both emerging and well-established. It's a gem sitting atop a gravel pit. If you’re in search of something fresh on the scene, check this record out and find the Ghost Killer Entertainment band that’s right for you.
