Reviewed By David Pearce

Art by Android Jones

Artist – Papa Roach
Album – The Connection
Label – Eleven Seven Music
Year – 2 / 10 / 12

Track Listing

1. Engage
2. Still Swingin (James Michael Mix)
3. Where Did The Angels Go
4. Silence Is The Enemy
5. Before I Die
6. Wish You Never Met Me
7. Give Me Back My Life
8. Breathe You In
9. Leader Of The Broken Hearts
10. Not That Beautiful
11. Walking Dead
12. Won’t Let Up
13. As Far As I Remember

Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest (2000). The group’s success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy (2002), their platinum album Getting Away with Murder (2004), The Paramour Sessions (2006), and Metamorphosis (2009). The band’s seventh album, Time for Annihilation, was released on August 31, 2010. Papa Roach has sold more than 18 million album copies worldwide, and are known for their hits “Last Resort”, “Between Angels And Insects”, “She Loves Me Not”, “…To Be Loved”, “Scars”, “Forever”, and “Hollywood Whore”. Now in 2012 they are going to release The Connection on the 2nd October on the Eleven Seven Music Label

The first song on the album is Engage is an instrumental that lasts about 53 seconds then it goes straight into the second song on the album which is Still Swingin (James Michael Mix) starts off with a high tempo riff with the vocals coming in soon after the intro. The vocals are high tempo but clean & very typical Papa Roach, I don’t normally like remixes but this is well done but still not sure of the stuttering lyrics halfway through the song but otherwise it rocks. The third and fourth songs are Where Did The Angels Go and Silence Is The Enemy the songs are just what Papa Roach should be bringing out high tempo full of cracking vocals, good guitar riffs and pounding drums. So far Where Did The Angels Go is my favourite on the album. The fifth song on the album is Before I Die starts off with some simple keyboards with the vocals coming in along side them then the guitar come in. The vocals are clean and with purpose just what you would expect, this song is one of the slower songs on the album but it has some really good keyboarding and guitar work. The next two songs on the album are Wish You Never Met Me and Give Me Back My Life these songs are full of good strong lyrics good guitar riffs and a bit of lead, the drumming is done to perfection and bass lines keep the rhythm going perfectly. The eighth song on the album is Breathe You In starts off with a good intro riff with the vocals coming in over them the vocals are again done at a high tempo but clean and precise the guitar work is superb. The changes in tempo throughout the song have been sorted perfectly and they fit the song well. The next two songs on the album are Leader Of The Broken Hearts and Not That Beautiful the first out of the two starts with all I can say is a pop style keyboards. But that all changes into a style that I can only compare to 30 Seconds to Mars’ Kings and Queens song. It is not as bad as it sounds the band is experimenting with different styles and this song really goes well with the album. Not That Beautiful goes straight back into the style that Papa Roach are famous for hard hitting music with some great guitar riffs, bass lines, pounding drums and quality vocals. The eleventh song on the album is Walking Dead it starts off again with a bit of keyboard the a good guitar riff then the vocals come in clean and perfectly done. The riffs in this song are really well executed as are the drums and bass lines making this just brilliant. The twelfth song is Won’t Let Up starts off with some keyboards then the vocals come in a rapping style which then goes back into the style we know and love. The song has some really good riffs then in the middle of the song the vocals go back to the rapping style in which really goes well with song and the album. The thirteenth and last song on the album is As Far As I Remember starts off again with some keyboards then the vocals come in clean but slowly. The song is played at a slower tempo than all the songs on the album but it still has all the same great style that the band are renowned for. There are more keyboards in this song which gives it a different edge but it is thought out really well and it doe’s go well with the album.

Overall
The Connection is a truly great album by Papa Roach it is full of great riffs, pounding drums, good bass lines and quality vocals. You get a few surprises in the album but it all goes so well that I did not care. It is one of the better albums that they have brought out over the years. My favourite song on the album had to be Where Did The Angels Go this song could of fitted very well on the Infest album of (2000) it was just that good. If you are a Papa Roach fan you will not be disappointed with this in my eyes it is right up there with the Infest album.

9/10

Band Members:

Jacoby Shaddix – vocals
Jerry Horton – lead guitar
Tobin Esperance – bass guitar
Tony Palermo – drums, percussion

Photo by Travis Shinn

Website    

http://www.paparoach.com
http://www.youtube.com/paparoach
http://www.twitter.com/paparoach
http://www.myspace.com/paparoach
http://www.paparoach.buzznet.com