Ever thought of mixing jam with ketchup? Unusual combo. Isn’t it? Well, music is just like food my friend.
Mix Hard Rock music with Pop/Hip Hop music and what you get is one kickass Nu-Metal cum Hard Rock band called PAPA ROACH. Applaud. They are not the only band to offer us a cocktail of music worth winning awards but they seem to have earned themselves at least an honorary mention.
HISTORY
Papa Roach is an American Nu-Metal, Hard Rock band from California. On February 4 1997, the band produced their first full length album entitled Old Friends From Young Years even though the formation of the band began way back in January 1993.
Their first major label release Infest released in 2000 was certified as 3xPlatinum by the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Band Members
Jacoby Shaddix – Lead vocals
Jerry Horton – Lead guitars, Backing vocals
Tobin Esperance – Bass guitar, Programming, Backing vocals
Tony Palermo – Drums, Percussion
On February 4 2014, the band announced that they will be going into studio to record a new album.
And the reason why we are here is to get an in-depth review of each and every song on the album that they were talking about.
F.E.A.R. No No No. That is just the name of their latest album. Relax.
Abbreviated for Face Everything And Rise, F.E.A.R. was released as band’s 8th studio album on 27th January 2015 with Eleven Seven Music record label company. A few days before the actual release of the album, the band Audio Streamed their album on the Eleven Seven Music channel on YouTube.
Ready? Alright then. Let’s get started.
- Face Everything And Rise
The 14 seconds DJ style/electronic intro is followed by heavy metal guitar sound along with magical drumming behind the kit by Tony Palermo. It is simple yet lethal. Very much the needed start to the kind of genre they dwell in. “I Will Face Everything And Rise”. *Obviously*.
- Skeleton
Not the follow up song anyone would expect after the title track. Unusual guitar riff followed by grungy vocals. Play this song, go for a nap, come back and it still won’t be over by then. OooH! I have a solution. Try listening to this song at 1.7x speed. At least you can enjoy fast paced music. Thank me later. Maybe not?
- Broken As Me
Hands down! Possibly the best song of the album. The whole song makes sense and is a relief after the disastrous previous song. Jerry Horton did an excellent job belting out that heavy guitar sound and thanks to Tony Palermo for joining in with drums. And that high, gentle kind of gruff scream by Jacoby Shaddix of “You are just as Broken As Me” is spine chilling. Believe me. The very kind of music expected from this band.
- Falling Apart
“I’ll follow you out of the dark”. Wait. No. Don’t be scared. That is just how the chorus goes. And I love the way how it instantly catches on your mind. Verse could have been better but still it works. The song is simple yet the one deserving that sweet spot in your playlist.
- Love me till it hurts
Walking on the same lines as of the previous track, this one stumbles a little but recovers soon all because of Horton bringing in that monstrous metal feel to ordinary love song. Certainly, not any near to the kind of grip the above two songs has to provide but still okay for a one time listen.
- Never Have To Say Goodbye
Just 3 lines for this one.
The only good thing is the drum part, that too, to some extent.
Lethargic lyrics and choppy music.
Don’t get me started on this song. NEXT.
- Gravity (feat. Maria Brink)
Shaddix rapping? Well he isn’t supposed to but he does. And, somehow, it fits. Along with Maria Brink, of In This Moment fame, Shaddix takes the song to a point where it bursts into one massive chorus tempting people to listen to it till the very end. With her cocky voice, she adds a different texture to the song. Plus, at the end of the song, you get to hear acoustics too. Experimenting can be fruitful.
- War Over Me
Orchestra playing with Tony Palermo starting to smash drums once again. What else do you wish should follow? A smokin’ guitar riff with heavy and heart pounding bass by Tobin Esperance? Gosh! I feel so lucky. Jacoby’s clear voice adds more sweetness to the scene. A proper Hard Rock package.
- Devil
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Who exactly said that? Doesn’t matter because naming this song Angel wouldn’t have helped. Starting off slow, Jacoby accelerates and does full justice to the demand of the song. The most complete song on this list.
- Warriors (feat. Royce da 5’9”)
We are the Warriors! We are the Warriors! JUMP JUMP. No? Alright. But you will eventually admit that this song doesn’t belong here. A DJ style pop cum rap song mixed with rookie rock signature. *Deadly*. Still it, somehow, works. More of an Anthem basically. Royce, of Slaughterhouse fame, fails miserably at rapping. Enough said.
Are we finished? Oh! Shoot. But hey, All’s well that ends well. Remember? With that notion in mind, I would say these 35 odd minutes consisted of some all-time fail moments but were mostly filled with enthralling and near to perfect Nu-Metal cum Hard Rock sound. An astonishing 3.7/5 to this album. Cheers!
And now, it is time for a creation of my own. Enjoy!
FEAR the DEVIL, the SKELETON is not FALLING APART due to GRAVITY. It is a WAR OVER ME but I know you are just as BROKEN AS ME. We will NEVER HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE. So, LOVE ME TILL IT HURTS. FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE because we are the WARRIORS.
-By Aayush Gupta
