The recent resurgence of late ’90s and early 2000s bands has had some interesting storylines, both good and bad. Sleater-Kinney returned as a hard rocking, politically charged band at the top of its game. Marilyn Manson remains as intriguing as ever, while Blink-182 engaged in an awkward PR fest that made Tom DeLonge force-quit the band.
Papa Roach is another popular 2000s emo-rock/rap group that launched its career with the song “Last Resort” in 2000. The suicide anthem is about bottoming out and wishing for a helping hand to pull singer Jacoby Shaddix up before he decides which method is best to end his life.
This new album, F.E.A.R. is the sound of emo-rock all grown up. Gone is the angst and the hatred intrinsic to youth; now Shaddix is matured and his music seems to focus on his concerns with marital stability. He pleads for forgiveness and strives for strength that is common among bands who have passed their primes. The rap-rock takes a backseat to overproduced instrumentation and grandiose lyrics that largely make the listener cringe at the sky-high aspirations Papa Roach had in creating this underwhelming album.
Even the song titles feel forced: “Hope For the Hopeless,” “Face Everything And Rise,” “Love Me Till It Hurts,” and “Broken As Me,” to name a few. Upon first listen, it sound like a divorce album and an attempt from Shaddix to use music to recover. To the contrary, Shaddix explained that his marriage has actually never been stronger in the Spotify F.E.A.R. commentary. How that could be ambiguous is odd, but the focus is more on making crowds chant the songs’ choruses, rather than contemplate their meaning.
The reason this album feels like a wasted effort is because the lyrical content no longer matches the music. The content on here is serious. These songs are about exorcising personal demons, saving a crumbling marriage and trying to connect with an adopted son, but it never feels interesting or relevant.
As uncomfortable as it is to say, it’s uninteresting to hear a band that emerged with a suicide anthem singing about Thanksgiving dinner topics, but on the flip side, maybe the message of recovery and hope will inspire fans who have faced similar problems in the past as a beacon of hope to “Face Everything and Rise.”
Certain bands have niche environments from which they shouldn’t stray. Bands that succeed are the ones that stick to their ideals. Sounds can change, styles can evolve, but a band that strays from its thesis statement rarely can be greeted with success. If Kurt Cobain would have changed Nirvana from moody grunge icons into a pure pop band, the entire fan base would have dissipated. Papa Roach has maintained its head-banging, guitar-slinging image, but it just doesn’t work anymore when the songs are written for the Hollywood ending.
Follow Craig Wright on Twitter @wgwcraig