Papa Roach has been a band since 1993 and blew up with 2000's album Infest and the popularity of the song "Last Resort." Though the band has matured and evolved a lot since then, they still usually close their live show with their first hit. In fact, when I saw them on 1/17/15 with Seether, Kyng, and Islander at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair they played a mix of new and old songs including Broken Home, Between Angels and Insects, and Infest off the debut album before closing the night with arguably the most famous anti-suicide song Last Resort.
Islander opened the night. They have been on some people's lists for album of the year "XX" or song of the year with "Coconut Dracula." They are an alternative metal band with some nu-metal tendencies. They are a good new band, but I am not sold yet on their sound or that they are the best new band to break out. Kyng played second and they were a lot more interesting. They are more of a groove and riff metal band with heavy blues undertones and some songs reminiscent of old school Alice and Chains, Soundgarden, and Corrosion of Conformity. Before they came on I ran into Jose Mangin from SiriusXM radio. He was friendly and when I told him I met him at Ozzfest 2007, without missing a beat he goes, "Two of the guys from Kyng played in the band Ankla at that time...remember them?" I recognized the name, but hadn't seen their set. I later realized that this was a Latin metal band that used to tour with the likes of Nonpoint and ill Nino. They were good, but Kyng are better. Apparently Jose has been a big promoter for their music - here's an example. I thought that Seether had top billing on this show and they definitely could have headlined after coming off of a big tour with Godsmack and having a new album that is charting. They have never disappointed me and played a good mix of songs, listed here However, this was definitely a Papa Roach crowd and they had the Wellmont about as electric as I have seen it.
I have been a fan of P-Roach since the beginning and I have seen them 9 times, more than any other band. I was seeing them so much I almost got burned out. It wasn't special anymore - even though Jacoby always brought mad energy to the shows. I still kept up with their music and with 2010's Time for Annihilation and 2012's The Connection I knew they weren't going away and certainly were still a great hard rock band. After seeing them recently for the first time in about five years they have cemented themselves as one of my all time favorites. The new songs rock and they are still one of the best live bands out there. I even got my first real battle wounds in this mosh pit and I have survived the likes of Slipknot and Hatebreed with fewer black and blue marks.
The album title track and opener Face Everything and Rise is an energetic and inspiring song in the vain of what we've heard from Papa Roach in recent years. What gets me even more excited is some of the deeper cuts like Falling Apart, Love Me Till It Hurts, and Gravity. The former two are hard rocking, but melodic. They are emotional, but not in a whiny or self loathing way. The sound production on this album is incredible and I think these songs are really taking Papa Roach's sound in a new direction. Gravity harkens back to the rap-rock days as Jacoby raps over a beat and piano track at the beginning of the song and then it opens up with a melodic chorus that features vocals from Maria Brink of In This Moment as sort of a duet. If you have been a fan before or think you might be given what I mentioned above, do yourself a favor and pick up F.E.A.R. What do you have to be afraid of?
Papa Roach rocking the Wellmont 1/17/15
