ALBUM REVIEW: Who Do You Trust? – Papa Roach
There is hardly a genre within alternative music both as adored and maligned as nu-metal. In 1994, stewing in the run-off sewage of thug-minded glam metal, KORN crafted a debut album as refreshing as it was punishing, with lyrics about bullying, abuse and insecurity. It remains a classic, but what came in the after-wind was toxic and thuggish. It birthed some of the finest bands of the era, but also some of the most insufferable. For every genre-bending, game-changing outfit, there was a hideous counterpart. KORN were entirely original in 1994, but by 1997, COAL CHAMBER had appropriated their formula and dumbed it down. SLIPKNOT’s debut was an utterly explosive cocktail of death metal, jungle, hip hop, avant-garde music and alternative rock, but with MUSHROOMHEAD and the countless gimmicky bands that followed, it almost spoiled the original experience. Upon its commercial downfall in the early-mid 2000s, it seemed as though the metal world at large was happy to sweep it under the rug. One band who enjoyed enormous success in the hey-day of nu-metal was PAPA ROACH.
PAPA ROACH‘s sophomore effort, 2000’s Infest, was a zeitgeist-capturing amalgam of rap-rock, nu-metal and the mainstream alternative rock which had conquered the globe. Last Resort, remains a staple in rock night-clubs and a primary example of a successful rock crossover. It wasn’t particularly smart, it wasn’t entirely original, but like it or not, the album sold 7 million copies worldwide, and remains as a prime example of second-wave nu-metal. The following two albums, Lovehatetragedy and Getting Away With Murder, explored more melodic, linear territory, but each album following Infest was released to less and less fervour. While maintaining a cult fanbase, the band seemed to disappear from the public conscious. A string of weak albums made things worse and pushed their glory years further into inaccessible memory.
In 2017, when the band released their ninth studio effort Crooked Teeth, it came as a surprise to fans and sceptics alike, as lead single Help propelled them onto American rock radio and saw them in the limelight once again. Their most accomplished effort since at the very least Lovehatetragedy, it seemed as though PAPA ROACH were back in position to establish themselves among their peers once again.
This all brings us to 2019, with the release of their 10th album, Who Do You Trust?, and for the first time in years, it appears there is a degree of hype around a PAPA ROACH album. They’ve been consistently reliable in releasing albums every couple of years, and reliability often breeds disinterest, but interest is certainly present this time around.
Which is why it’s such a shame that this album fails to capitalise on the hype, and ends up as such a mixed bag. Crooked Teeth was reverent of the past, but ultimately sounded how a modern mainstream rock album ought to; vibrant, bold and rich with hooks and melody. Who Do You Trust?, on the other hand, in large parts, feels unfocused and indecisive. The music feels markedly less organic-in-feel in comparison to the predecessor, and the compositions feel sporadic and. Diversity can often be mistaken for a lack of focus, but both can be a good thing for an album.
In this fashion, the album adopts a number of styles, a few of which don’t suit PAPA ROACH in the slightest. In some instances, they perform tired and dated rap-rock, as shown on Renegade Music and the title track. This could have felt like a nostalgic worship of the past, but it rather feels like a tired re-tread. Jacoby Shaddix was never an MC comparable to hip-hop’s finest but, much like Fred Durst, he’s a man capable of crafting unforgettable hooks, impeccably designed earworms one never truly shakes off. Here, however, he is operating a standard lower than his best, and that’s a shame considering he is by far the most charismatic member of the group.
Occasionally the band even explores uber-melodic, weightless pop-rock like that of IMAGINE DRAGONS and BASTILLE. Top Of the World and Feels Like Home both approach ballad territory, and that unshakeable suffocating-reverb instrumentation ever-present on US radio is here in abundance. The band don’t fail at this, but what you think of these songs is entirely dependent on what you make of this style of music, and it begs the question what the crossover is between fans of THE KILLERS and fans of PAPA ROACH.
Granted, it would be unfair to completely write this album off, for there are moments of quality – Maniac is a case of the band sounding truly alive and energized, and despite coming perhaps too late in the album, it is refreshing. I Suffer Well is one of the most pleasant surprises on the album, and perhaps the finest track of the set. Skate-punk is not a territory PAPA ROACH have explored before, and while for some it may seem forced, it provides a much-needed shock to the system, with frantic drum work by Tony Palmero and vocal performance by Shaddix abundant in conviction. If the band want to explore new territories in the future, they could do a great deal worse than going down this path in the future.
Furthermore, the band always sound committed to whatever they do, and that goes a long way. Even when they’re wearing clothes that are unflattering and don’t fit, they’re unafraid to step out on the runaway, and that is hugely admirable. From a band this long in the tooth, it is far easier to rest on your laurels than strive into new territory, and PAPA ROACH doing that, despite the result being mixed, is something they ought to be acclaimed for. It takes a great deal of self-belief and gusto to strive into musical territories that you know will likely alienate your fans
Ultimately, Who Do You Trust? is by no means a disaster. There’s certainly experiments which pay off, and hearing a band who on their last effort recaptured their radio rock potential now appropriating skate-punk, even if only briefly. PAPA ROACH could never boast consistency but unlike some of their past efforts, Who Do You Trust? is unlikely to be forgotten. It’s a curious commodity in their discography, and for a band to be this deep in their career and continuing to push themselves and produce individualistic work is something we ought to cherish. However, the album boasts too many ill-judged decisions, and results in songs which do nothing to flatter PAPA ROACH. The band seem all too willing to run in foot-binding shoes. It does bring interest to what they will do next, and it is entirely possible they will nail these explorations the next time out. But in this case, it simply isn’t the finished article.
Rating: 5/10
Who Do You Trust? is out now via Eleven Seven Music.
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