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

Papa Roach’s musical career has taken so many twists and turns with each album revealing a new genre approach and, essentially, a new sound from the last. With everything from nu-metal, rap and hard rock covered throughout (how effectively is a matter of personal opinion), new album ‘F.E.A.R.’ mixes the new and old school sounds into a musical melting pot to create a more expansive album.

Opener, ‘Face Everything And Rise,’ which plays on some electronic elements mixed with hard rock, starts the album off on a heavier note before throwing you into the slower, skin crawling, ‘Skeletons.’

What's evident, particularly early on, is how far Papa Roach have come in pursuit of their craft. The guitars are atmospheric and well-placed while the heavier side of Papa Roach is complemented by the slower moments such as, ‘Low Me Till It Hurts.’

‘Gravity’ is a stand out track, it is quite different in comparison to the tracks that surround it, but it visits old school Papa Roach elements that fans, who have stuck around this long, will love. The track brings back the rapping of Jacoby Shaddix and also features In This Moment’s Maria Brink. The harmonies of Shaddix and Brink are beautiful and really add a point of difference to the album. If you were only going to listen to one track on the album this would be it.

‘F.E.A.R.’ mixes things up with a lot of different sounds and influences, but they manage to create a focus for the album that makes it feel a complete and cohesive piece. Equally, the spiritual elements within the lyrics manage to remain broad enough that it’s still relatable and not off putting for listeners.

If Papa Roach is not your thing (and let's face it, that applies to a lot of people), then 'F.E.A.R.' probably won't win you over. But, for the rest, it's a neat offering from the enduring Californian outfit.

'F.E.A.R.' is an album that takes all the solid parts of Papa Roach's past and puts them together without the key mistakes that plagued each previous release. The record, with both heavy, fun elements and slower, alluring sounds, is something that will appeal to the nu-metal nostalgists and perhaps a younger, impressionable demographic all the same.