Papa Roach - ‘Ego Trip’ - album review
Papa Roach – Ego Trip (New Noize Records)
Heavyweights Papa Roach are back with their brand new album Ego Trip and it is a lesson in everything that makes this band great. As their 11th album, it’s no surprise that they have decided to change up their sound slightly with this release. So, throw away those baggy jeans and get ready to experience the new sound of Papa Roach.
The opening track Kill The Noise gets the album off to a roaring start with a screaming whammy guitar riff and a series of claps that anyone would be excited to hear in a packed-out venue. The entire song sounds absolutely nothing like the Papa Roach we have all come to know and love and instead has adopted some more modern metal techniques and melody styles to appeal to a wider audience. As an opening track, it is close to perfect. It immediately comes crashing in and throws us headfirst into what is about to be a real experience.
The next track Swerve does exactly what it says on the tin and makes a total 180 in terms of genre. It’s a collaboration with Fever 333 and multi genre artist Sueco, making the song itself a cocktail of genres. It’s a mix that really shouldn’t work as well as it does, yet Papa Roach stay true to their fashion and manage to pull it off, even down to the saxophone that can be heard playing throughout – now that really is something you probably never expected to hear in a track from nu-metal icons like these. Next, at whiplash speed, the band change their sound immediately with Dying To Believe. This track is among the heaviest on the album and carries a more modern metal sound. Frontman Jacoby Shaddix is able to utilize his heavier vocals at long last and lets loose on a breakdown that has taken far too long to come our way.
As well as showcasing their talents as songwriters by diversifying their sound, the band also show their talents as musicians on Ego Trip. Songs like Bloodline and the title track give us those signature raspy vocals from Shaddix that we are all so desperate to hear. The rest of the band are tighter than ever – guitarist Jerry Horton creates compelling riffs that blend so well with the synth tracks created by bassist and programmer Tobin Esperance, who also carries every song forward with thunderous, consistent bass playing throughout. At the back is powerhouse drummer Tony Palmero, who makes sure that everything drives along with force – just as it should.
Admittedly, Ego Trip has made the band a lot more radio friendly than previous albums through use of characteristics and instrumentation found in most Top 40 tracks. For some die-hard, elitist metal fans this will be completely unacceptable, but Papa Roach have found a formula that works well for them – and if it’s not broke, then why try to fix it? Times and genres are changing and Papa Roach have displayed that they are willing to move with the rest of us, clearly displaying their talents in every genre of music within this album. It’s a beautiful thing – no two songs are the same, with the record ranging from acoustic ballads, to rap tracks full of trap drums, to the aggressive vocals and heavy distortion that we know and love as Papa Roach. They have blended more conventional and traditional rock and metal elements with anything and everything else to create an album that truly has something for everyone.
8/10
