Papa Roach - Lifeline [Single]

Interscope

July 20, 2009, 04:21 PM

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EPIC FAIL!

I can't say I remember much of Papa Roach other than their 'hit' song about self harm from nearly a decade ago and the absolute slaughter of the Pixies classic 'Gauge Away'. By the evidence of "Lifeline" though their legacy remains as also-ran nu-metallars who somehow managed to cling onto the gravy train as it was pulling away from the station.

It's a listless, crunchy guitar driven rock song (you know the sort) that is so bereft of any individual personality and soul it makes Nickleback look and sound "edgy". It's lead guitar line also steals the melody from OMD's 'Souvenier' (a VASTLY superior song) and the crystal clean production cuts away any of the edge that the band probably once could at-least fake.

Basically what we're looking at here is a sub-par Green Day album track with a throw-away chorus and a melody which sounds as if it were pulled out of a production line of similarly 'heartfelt' power ballads. If Papa Roach really want to transcend their nu-metal roots they should really be looking to establish their own sound rather than just milking the American billboard charts current deluge of middle of the road rock. In Britain we have the phrase 'landfill indie', I suspect the Americans could well be justified in using the term 'landfill metal' even though the most metal thing about this song is the singers overtly feminine lip piercing.

Special mention also has to go to the cover of the promo CD I received which gave me a good giggle, they really are too old for this shit [NOTE: It is not the one shown here as it is not the official single cover].

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