ALBUM REVIEWS
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ALBUM REVIEWS |
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Papa Roach
Metamorphosis DGC RECORDS 23.3.09 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk
Hard to believe that it’s been almost exactly nine years since Papa Roach first got noticed with “Last Resort” and their debut album “Infest”… and haven’t they been quiet since? Previous to this album landing on my doormat, I would have guessed that they had either retreated to America to play to small audiences and feed off their 15 minutes of fame or just folded and gone their separate ways. Turns out I was totally wrong, as the band are now on their fifth album and have sold more than ten million albums worldwide. And over these releases, their sound seems to have been refined, while maintaining the same fundamental feel and crispness. Musically, the band are tight, and the tracks of “Metamorphosis” are varied. Each stands on its own effectively, with the genre of ‘hard rock’ stretched to include acoustic guitars and even some rap elements. While I enjoyed listening to this album – and will be sure to revisit it soon – there’s a doubt in my mind about the songwriting. Too often the themes of lost love and sexual desire are presented in the way that you would expect a group of fourteen-year-olds to write. “Hollywood Whore”, lazy rhyming aside, is just a song about a prostitute the morning after the night before, and “I Almost Told You That I Loved You” is just-over three minutes of sex-based allusion. This isn’t to say that the songs are bad, because they are well produced, deeply layered and catchy. But they would benefit greatly from a smidge of subtlety – or just a different subject for the band to write about. It’s interesting that ‘Metamorphosis’ sees Papa Roach begin to move towards large-scale theatrical songs. “Change Or Die” and “Live This Down” are just two of several tracks that sound like they were designed for the closing credits of an action film. What the band may be lacking lyrically, they have made up in production and musical dexterity. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a hard rock album with audible vocals and distinguishable tracks. They may be fourteen inside, but the band have clearly matured enough to make a solid, logical album. And the bonus live tracks show they can transfer this sound. A surprisingly good album – if you can see past the juvenile themes and sloppy songwriting. www.paparoach.com |
