Papa Roach

About Papa Roach

Northern California's Papa Roach made a big splash in the nu metal scene back in 2000. They seemed to spring up fully formed from the cold Northern climate. But fans attracted to their hit single "Last Resort" probably didn't know that the quartet had been gigging steadily around the local club circuit since the mid-90's, and had been honing their craft since high school. Papa Roach often get lumped in with fellow rocker Limp Bizkit, but connoisseurs of the sound will find their intense riffs and commanding vocals more intense and mature than the Bizket. Their lyrics definitely lean local, more high school depression than international politics. Individual cases of malaise and broken homes take center stage on tracks like the crunching "Last Resort," the scathing "Between Angels And Insects" and the bitter "Revenge." They picked up fans on the Vans Warped Tour, then launched a dedicated street team publicity blitz, even getting fans to drive vans equipped with speakers playing "Last Resort" through dense neighborhoods (the legality in respect to local noise statutes was probably questionable.) As a follow-up to the hit Infest, Papa Roach dropped their second LP, lovehatetragedy which featured the diss hit "She Loves Me Not." Fans were initially upset to find that the disc was completely devoid of Infests rapcore rhymes, but Jacoby Shaddix's vocals remained assertive and Papa Roach's lyrics kept it hard and dark. Their most recent disc, The Paramour Sessions, saw their straight up rock leanings winning the battle completely and these days Papa Roach are the go-to band for aggresive, groove-centered metal.