Every single album Papa Roach has ever released has done nothing but excite me. There’s one band in every one’s life that enter it at a pivotal time and stay with them forever more, for me that’s Papa Roach. The band has grown and matured, their music has gone through changes with time and tastes, and I have been with them every single step of the way. They’re not a band to forget their roots, like others from the genre in the day, Papa Roach has never shied away from their nu-metal beginnings and if anything try to incorporate it at least a little into each album and this one is no different.
The album kicks off with the title track F.E.A.R (Face Everything and Rise). It’s similar to tracks from their last album, The Connection, and it mixes rock with dubstep and hip hop style sounds and beats. This is one of the ways Papa Roach still tips their hat to their nu-metal roots.
It’s easy to find yourself singing along with more choruses on this album on just the first listen, as was proved for myself on Falling Apart. It’s this kind of simplicity that makes Papa Roach as amazing as they are. Any band that can write a catchy hook and a chorus that will suck you in on the first listen just proves they know how to write a hit and a tune worthy of the longevity of the career that Papa Roach have had.
Gravity is a very heavy hip hop based track to begin with. It starts with Jacoby Shaddix showing his rapping skills to just a simple piano and drum beat (albeit in the style of that massive Jay-Z/ Alicia Keys hit Empire State of Mind), this song heads into the realms of rock solidly later on with big riffs.
The band have already released 4 singles from this album, mostly via online outlets, but the first anyone heard was Warriors. This track features rapper Royce Da 5’9” and is yet again another tip to their beginnings. It was also a nice introduction to what you can expect mostly from the album.
The album is quite a mix of styles and tracks. It’s a little more scattered than the previous couple of Papa Roach releases, which can make it feel a bit detached if you listen to the album in full, but in this day and age of ‘iTunes on shuffle’ I don’t think the album will suffer too much for it’s mixed nature. It’s an album that certainly has the potential for growth and I’m sure as with every other Papa Roach release it will soon be in constant rotation for me.
8/10
