Is it a hit, *hit or miss?

Papa Roach – Getting Away With Murder    by Scott Slapp

Papa Roach – Getting Away With Murder  
Label: Geffen
Hit, *hit or Miss?:  Hit
Rating: 

My editor really likes me to try new things. He is always giving me CDs to review that I would normally pass on. To be 100% honest, I have never heard Papa Roach before listening to this CD because I try to avoid most numetal. With that trend winding down, and the full cycle from leaders to third string rip-offs having played out, I actually was interested to see what this band sounds like. (I've been since told that this CD is a bit of a departure for the band, so you really can't assume it will sound like the Papa Roach you may have heard. Those that have heard the new CD and the old ones will be a better judge of that) So when I asked my editor if he had anything for me to review and he mentioned this one, I thought ‘what the hell, I’ll give it a shot’. .

What did I find? As a numetal band Papa Roach is in the top tier. They stick with the formula but use it to good effect. The heart of numetal has always been downtuned heaviness meets melody and Papa Roach fit that mold perfectly by relying a bit more on the latter than the former. As a band that might find an audience outside of numetal, Papa Roach may have a harder time because they have already been pigeonholed. However, stylistically on this album they do have modern rock crossover appeal, so they may be able to make the jump, but it is hard to see them overcoming the stigma of being part of a dying genre. Having said that, this album demonstrates that this is one of the few bands that can carry on with the numetal sound and survive by keeping it relevant to the core audience and maybe a few outside of it. 

Many of their contemporaries have lost their record deals, so this album is really Papa Roach fighting for their lives and judging by the results, it does seem that they came prepared to wage a healthy battle. The last song on this CD sums it up perfectly, “Do or Die”. 

They draw “blood” with the first song and this tracks actually made me take a second take and forget most of my anti-numetal prejudice and get into the groove of the music. “Not Listening” stars off big with lead guitars and a frontloaded big sound chorus. A very smart move on Papa Roach’s part because it allows them to get their hook in right up front. On  “Stop Looking Start Seeing” Papa Roach really lay it on the line and proclaim “There's a time to lead and a time to follow” and for the most part this song demonstrates that they are really stepping up to lead their own destiny and not follow the path most of their contemporaries have taken. 

As biased as I was going into this review, I have to once again eat crow and say that Papa Roach have won me over. Numetal may no longer be the flavor of the week on MTV, but this band doesn’t really seem to care. They battle on, doing the best they can and their best just might be enough to overcome the downfall of numetal and still remain a force in rock going forward. 

This is an automatic buy for the numetal faithful, for everyone else it is definitely worth investigating. You may find that this album can win you over as easily as it won me over. Then again, it may not, but you will never know unless you give it a shot. 

Tracks: Blood (Empty Promises) Not Listening Stop Looking Start Seeing Take Me Getting Away With Murder Be Free Done With You Scars Sometimes Blanket Of Fear Tyranny Of Normality Do Or Die

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