Papa Roach – Face Everything And Rise (F.E.A.R)

Ask any person in their twenties to name a Papa Roach song and nine times out of ten it’ll be something from 2000 opus Infest – and nine times out of ten it’ll be the same song (we all know which one I’m referring to here). Contrary to opinion though, the band are doing all they can to avoid the ‘nostalgia act’ tagline and it’s paid dividends; they’ve left their rap-rock roots far behind them and grown into a premier hard rock outfit with a knack for releasing top-notch anthems with apparent ease. F.E.A.R, the band’s eight album (which stands for Face Everything And Rise), is a perfect continuation of this trend. But firstly, I wish to address the elephant in the room…

They say you shouldn’t fix what ain’t broken, and this is probably why Papa Roach’s lyrical content is still very much centred around the angst and troubles of young person life. Granted, as they’ve developed and kept themselves fresh they’ve managed to bring in a whole new generation of fans who are going through said issues, but the album does hit points where it feels like Jacoby Shaddix and co have literally raided Tumblr and written down what has appeared on their dashboard. And when you have song titles like ‘Love Me Till It Hurts’ and ‘Never Have to Say Goodbye’ and lyrics lines such as My pain is a blessing in disguise/I feel it cutting and it’s cutting like a knife, you do worry that all of their work on the album will be undone. Thankfully, it isn’t.

Because in every other aspect, this album is a rousing success. Yes, a few of the tracks could definitely be aired on American radio stations, but they’re certainly towards the heavier end, and songs like ‘Skeletons’ and ‘Broken As Me’ will cause heads to bang and voices to shout back the massive choruses. There are also two guest slots – In This Moment’s Maria Brink lends her voice to ‘Gravity’ which sees Shaddix finally gives us a little bit of the rapping he had previously disregarded and Royce da 5’9″ collaborates on ‘Warrirors’, adding an electronic element that threatens to uproot even Crossfaith. Also, at a base level, it’s fun – the sound is so bouncy and catchy that you’re swept up in it almost immediately and dancing along.

In short, this is an excellent continuation of the Papa Roach story. It’s nothing overly special but it’s brash and loud, and the UK tour in March will be a sight to behold, for sure.

Band lineup

Jacoby Shaddix – vocals
Jerry Horton – guitar, backing vocals
Tobin Esperance – bass, backing vocals
Tony Palermo – drums, percussion

Track listing

1. Face Everything and Rise
2. Skeletons
3. Broken As Me
4. Falling Apart
5. Love Till It Hurts
6. Never Have to Say Goodbye
7. Gravity
8. War Over Me
9. Devil
10. Warriors
11. Hope for the Hopeless
12. Love Hate Fear

Links

http://www.paparoach.com

http://www.facebook.com/paparoach

http://www.twitter.com/paparoach