Papa Roach – Metamorphosis
Filed under: Album Reviews by Chris1 Comment »
Well, this came straight out of the ether.
Make what you will of this, but I was a pretty big fan of Papa Roach back in the day – I’m still known to flail about to Last Resort at any given chance…but I did not expect a new album anytime soon.
Refreshingly, it’s a good album – refreshing, exactly, because I didn’t expect it to be. All recent releases from bands I have once adored have let me down in one way or another. New Found Glory, Chris Cornell et al…
It starts off with ‘Days Of War’, a slow-building instrumental intro…and not as pointless as that sounds, as it flows brilliantly into ‘Change or Die’, a gutteral slice of rock, sticking close to the Papa Roach formula of old, but somehow more refined. It’s still loud, and dirty, but well constructed and catchy as hell.
First single ‘Hollywood Whore’ is a Paris Hilton-baiting track, about the excesses of talentless, er, Hollywood Whores. It’s classic Roach, remaining as catchy as it is raw.
Even when things slow down on ‘Lifeline’ and ‘Had Enough’, the quality is still here – something, if I remember correctly – Papa Roach struggled with in the past. Jacoby Shaddix’s vocals have improved, and cope with the drop in tempo well.
‘Live This Down’ is most reminiscent of their old sound, but thankfully doesn’t include any ill-advised rapping. This provides a nice juxtaposition with ‘March Out Of The Darkness’ – which sounds most unlike old Papa Roach – atleast for the first minute or so. A slow acoustic opener that builds into safer territory, but still stands out of the crowd.
‘Into The Light’ is one of the best tracks on offer here – it’s the track that best sums up the album, and represents all of the positives. The tempo is kept high, the drums and the guitars are suitably energetic and edgy, and the vocals shine. I’ll be very surprised if this isn’t a single at some point down the line.
Album closer ‘State Of Emergency’ is a catchy, powerful tune, that finishes the album well. Verses are complimented by steady drumming, and the chorus is fired along with typically heavy guitars.
Other recent bands attempting to make this style of music, have come off as over-produced nonsense (here’s looking at you, Shinedown), but Papa Roach mostly avoid this staple, and it’s all the better for it. It sounds just as raw as it’s supposed to, and everything compliments one another. From the occasionally simple lyrics, to the shouty vocals and purposely-rough guitars. They’ve lost some of the anger that once fuelled them, replaced with
That’s not to say it’s a perfect song – it isn’t; but for it’s genre, it’s accomplished and that in itself is impressive. It’s indicative of Papa Roach’s ability to stay fresh, even after so long treading a similar path. It isn’t a drastic change, and it may be more to do with the length they’ve been away, but it still works.
Rating: 
A solid rock album with some decent flouishes.
It’s worth noting, too, that the UK release of the album has live versions of ‘She Loves Me Not’ and ‘Broken Home’ as bonus tracks – which is a very nice treat for all fans and newcomers alike.
