Altsounds - Papa Roach - Metamorphosis [Album]

First of all, I'm gonna lay this down on the table, and then move on swiftly before the pitchforks get sharpened.

I quite like Papa Roach. Their previous album "Paramour Sessions" was a bit of a rather damp squib, as was "Lovehatetragedy" before it, leading into what I'm now referring to as "Shite even album syndrome". I already had high hopes for "Metamorphosis" as it was an odd number, being their fifth major release and as "Infest" and "Getting Away With Murder" proved, these odd number albums usually had better ideas, whilst also being much darker albums.

I'll be the first not to deny that Papa Roach aren't exactly a band with a lasting sustainability and staying power, but somehow they've stuck around for years and through a change of musical direction into a more traditional modern rock style. With tours from Guns N' Roses and a slot on the first Crue-fest a reward. However, it's been 9 years since "Last Resort" first assaulted speakers with a more desperate angle on the Nu-metal flavour of the day, and whilst their change has brought on the sadly predictable cackle of "Sellout" from some who frankly should know better, and others who frankly don't, they've kept to their guns and kept the original feeling of the lyrics.

So, enough of my sideways bloody ranting, let's get moving with the CD.

Album opener "Days Of War" is an over-blown introduction into the real album opener, "Change Or Die", but does have a pleasant way of building suspense. It does flow neatly into "Change or Die", which has a definite stompable sense of rhythm that gets your foot tapping. The argument of its' lack of immersion is somewhat lessened, and whilst you'd have no problem in getting this played on the radio it's a good song in its' own right. The guitar hook is more effective then the left hand of an unlucky pirate captain and new drummer Tony Palermo adds a new impetus to proceedings. This is something greatly appreciated with this number. While it doesn't scream of a definite style that's only their own, they are definitely the only band that pull this combination, quickly proved with the next song.

"Hollywood Whore" was soundly pounded and torn apart when first reviewed by this site, if memory serves me well. The rhythm is a very simple, slow number leaving Shaddix's lyrics as the driving force, and as much as I may incur the wrath of many people for saying this, I think it works well. It has the feeling of a more sinister nursery rhyme, kind of like 'ring a ring a roses' where the flowers are covered in barbed-wire. Obviously directed towards America's media circus and the likes of Ms. Spears, Hilton and all the rest, this song could really benefit from some venom in the lyrics, and the songs very clean and polished production takes away any "edge". It is a nice idea that is done well but I feel this was probably a better song before the label polish kicked in.

"I Almost Told You That I Loved You" shockingly carries on in a similar vein, been as expected it is a near-miss of a love song and just ends up being more of a twisted celebration of the glorious art-form of Horizontal Jogging. The numbers feels punchy, driven, and I remember day-dreaming about having pleasant moments with lap-dancers while listening to this, which pretty much puts it into perspective. Again, the band feel held back, partly by Shaddix's lyrics feeling sheepish about the swearing and again the polished production takes what would be a very similar feeling to a typical "Appetite For Destruction" number and adds the generics up a few notches. A very well done dirty rock song, but a little too prettily dressed.

At this point one would forgive me for starting to enjoy a nice feeling of momentum here. Well, yeah, screw it, the first 4 numbers kick arse. Which is what makes track five the obligatory power-ballad "Lifeline" which is so much more disappointing. It's not an especially "bad" song per se, it's just uninspiring. A song about desperation and trying to make ends meet should strike such a poignant chord in these days of recession and closure but Interscope's Mr. Sheen brigade once again pisses on it and then sticks around to scrub the effect in. As a ballad it feels ambitious and toothless; like a small dog trying to make off with a steak the same size as itself.

Track six compounds this disappointment further with the generically sounding "Had Enough". This song creates a feeling of deja-vu because they must have used this son of a bitch somewhere before. The subject matter is also pretty hope-dampening..... You've guessed it. It's only yet another fucking Anti-violence and war song.

Yes, I know Afghanistan and Iraq are/were dreadful. I know it's touched a lot of people but will bands please stop mining that particular god damned emotion-jerker? I swear, another sombre , war protest, militant-hippie-drenched, soppy whiner song passes through my ears something gets broken about it's face. It's such an over-milked idea and hardly any of them make an impact. Examples of this include A7X's "Gunslinger", Greenday's "Wake Me Up When September Ends".

Track seven is "Live This Down" which rejuvenates the signs of the earlier promise. Again, it's a song that doesn't push any envelopes and again it has nice hooks. "Live This Down" would be better off being placed nearer the albums highlight thus far, "I almost told you..." which is about breakups and women troubles [something a bunch of generically attractive, thoroughly tattooed, 30-something, teenage heartthrobs are obviously always experiencing in their lives right? Yeah and my left testicle plays the banjo!].

The continuing feel of competent but safe continues with "March Out Of The Darkness" which has twinges of Sixx: AM's feelings of depression, and continues down the theme of redemption. It also has a strange knack of visualizing both dark and light feelings within the listener. The lyrics are a bit of a weak-point in this with them not quite having sufficient bite to bring the song to anything beyond a happy sing-a-long number.

Something that starts to twig is that thankfully none of these songs actually drag on for longer than a radio-friendly 4 minutes or so. It does help keep the album fresh whilst also keeping you from properly examining the songs and realising there's not much depth in "Metamorphosis". In a bizarre twist of fate, this for me is one of the albums major strengths. Let me explain campers, hermaphrodites and organists. Rock N' Roll has never been a music form which really needed excusing. It's always been a "Why not?" style, which started to go down-hill when bands starting taking themselves too seriously. There is a sense of fun about this album whilst still having its' core remain intact.

In a somewhat contradictory manner, "Into The Light" combines some of the most simplistic, effective imagery from Shaddix's lyrics with some much improved riffing from the band. This all helps to reinforce the oft-repeated "Simple but effective" feeling that the recent Papa Roach recordings have. Other interesting tidbits from "Into The Light" includes a cameo in the solo from Motley Crue axe-man, Mick Mars. Mick is still a far more talented player than Horton and has a vastly more impressive sound. Mick Mars still makes the solo work, and it genuinely lifts "Into the Light" into the album's secondary highlight. It also shows that it's not only Nikki Sixx that can make a pay cheque outside of Motley Crue!

"Carry Me" is the band's low-key moment. If a band was required to have a generically whiny Coldplay-like number in every album, this would be it. It is somewhat underwhelming, and has B-side written all over it. This is a bit of a shitter really as it does a good job of killing the momentum they had just started to re-build up. The imagery of the lyrics again is nice, but hearing the words "Now I'm laying my cards on the table" does make you raise an eyebrow, in a knowing manner of "Yeah, the last time you lads did that was back in 2000".

If you're starting to get fed up of me saying the band could do better and take a few more risks, then trust me, so am I. The Papa Roach guys are capable of making a MUCH better album. They just need to not be so damned scared of not making the top 40. It's a shame and I'd hope to see some improvements. I've seen more eggs broken by the chickens that physically layed them. It's a shame to see a band that was once referred to as "An example of the Rock-N'-Roll Lifestyle" playing everything so damned safe in case somebodies mother took offence. That's one aspect that needs improving in future and a general attack on modern music in general? Where are the balls? This ain't bubblegum-pop by all means, but it's lacking the bite it should have, and I'm scratching my stubble as to how that actuallyhappened.

The penultimate number "Nights Of Love" carries on in the low-key manner, with Sixx:AM frontman James Michael farting about on keyboards in the background; obviously just getting bored whilst in the studio, and frankly, I sympathise. You know the complaints by now, I'll even leave a box for you to write 'Em in if this ever gets printed out ______________________.

See? Ain't I a gent? Finally we arrive at the last song and the one that you would hope would be a rocky puncher of a finale; something that makes you think "Hell! I'm leaving that in for another play!"

"State Of Emergency" is somewhat restrained, like a pit-bull wearing a seat belt. Every now and then it barks a bit in the chorus. Mostly it just sits there quietly grumbling about how it could be running free, piddling on tree barks and tearing children's' arms off.

The final 2 songs are live recordings of a filmed Chicago gig showcasing the bands "Explosive" live shows. As it is, the sounds are nice, and there's a tangible energy on stage, but the live recordings are never quite as good as even catching the footage on a telly or computer screen. In case you're bothered, the tracks I mention are "She Loves Me Not" and "Broken Home".

The final round-up has quickly descended on us like a fat scouser without a parachute and I've now gotta somehow prize out a coherent conclusion out of the last few hundred words of seamless improvisation [don't ask, it's how I roll]. What was once a quest to show the quite thinly biased reviews of earlier how a similarly thinly biased review can also be more in depth. Not what I had initially visualized but oh well! One further side-note is the album artwork which is stingy beyond compare. It is blatant that all of the record labels budget went on the production polish. For those who are still here, you already know if it's worth buying.

I enjoyed the record myself. It's a deliberated recommendation if you don't mind having your modern rock a little toothless and domesticated. One major downside is that there is real potential on show here showcasing Papa Roach as something more that the nu-metal ponies that missed the slaughterhouse that many people think of them as of late. If Papa Roach could get out of their current situation and find a label that wouldn't so blatantly keep them artistically leashed then Papa Roach could go much further.

What the hell do Interscope know about Rock N' Roll, anyway?