Papa Roach - F.E.A.R Album Review

With their eighth consecutive album 'F.E.A.R (Face Everything and Rise)' ready to drop, Papa Roach are back with a vengeance with some new modern/heavy rock influenced tracks for us to sink our teeth into.

Usually, at the very mention of the name 'Papa Roach', a chorus of "cut my life into pieces, this is my last resort" would echo round, but this new album is a step forward for the Californian rockers and, with an amalgamation of musical influences, it's quite easy to see just how much this band has developed.

With the slow rap that Papa Roach started their careers with almost faded out completely (with it only being featured in 'Gravity' and in a verse of 'Warriors'), Roach have created a record that states one thing: We're ready for the arenas.

The angsty sound that Roach do so well is a prime element of 'F.E.A.R' and, mixed with catchy riffs, thunderous bass lines and heavy drums as well as the occasional House-style synth, the album is a statement that Papa Roach are ready to take on the big league and come out on top.

Papa Roach showed from the very beginning through songs like 'Last Resort' and 'Scars' that they could do deeply personal. But the raw edginess of songs such as 'Fear Hate Love' depicts the band's evolution from rapcore nu-metal beginners to the masters of their genre.

However, there's always a difficult decision for bands that have been around for a long while to make; whether to upset their die-hard fans and create something completely different or remain the same and stay stagnant. But 'F.E.A.R' seems to be a nice middle ground, mixing the new and the old and creating a balance that many bands would be jealous of.

Although the opening track and album title track 'Face Everything and Rise' gives the album a powerful start, the more lightweight first half of the album intertwines mainstream style melodies with commanding riffs. But it is the second half of the album where 'F.E.A.R' really shines.

 The highlights of the album 'Gravity' and 'Warrior' are the signature signposts that the band is a continuing evolution, but by maintaining the hard-hitting rock anthems as their foundation, Papa Roach have shown that they aren't ready to stop yet.

4/5

Sophie Brannon