You Too Can Be Getting Away With Murder If You Buy This Album

Papa Roach has been releasing music for just over ten years. In that time, they've released four albums and a few EP's. The rap-metal band from California put out their first album in 1997. There were very few copies made, so most people don't know about Old Friends From Young Years. In fact, most people (myself included until a few weeks ago) believed that 2000's critically acclaimed Infest was the band's first LP. They rode the success of the single Last Resort all the way to the bank. Two years later, they released Lovehatetragedy, the band's foray into a fusion of rap-metal with good old rock music. This reviewer believes they failed miserably, but some people liked it (the album sold over three million copies). In 2004, they returned to the mainstream rock scene with Getting Away With Murder.

Papa Roach Is:
Jacoby Shaddix (Vocals)
Jerry Horton (Guitar)
Dave Buckner (Drums)
Tobin Esperance (Bass)

What should you expect from this album? Papa Roach has always been a changing band. Their first three albums all have a different sound to them, and number four is no different. Okay, bad choice of words. They return a little more to their screaming rap-metal roots while making sure they still have a solid foothold in the rock industry. There's elements from both genres throughout the album. Dave Buckner's drumming is boring on the first few tracks, but he picks it up and ends up with quite a good ending. Jacoby Shaddix's vocals are often angry as though he's been wronged, and sometimes he sounds like he just doesn't give a fuck. You should be pleasantly surprised, despite the beginning few tracks.

Blood is a song that's heavy on the hollow drumming sounds, and not much else. Shaddix has some rather catchy vocals, but the fact that this song isn't the band's best work is evident. On the verses, Shaddix almost whispers the lyrics, which at least show the band has a little range here. Just not enough. I do find it amusing that Shaddix sings "You lost my respect." Touché, buddy. Not Listening has another mindless chorus. At least they get the bass and guitar in on this track. Some shrieky guitars make the song pretty good. The hooks here aren't very fresh. I can almost swear this sounds just like half of Lovehatetragedy, but if you turn it up loud it does sort of sound better--maybe my mind is getting warped...

Staying full in the rock genre, the band does something a little different on Stop Looking. Shaddix does some screaming in the background of some music that's mildly tolerable. Take Me is effective. It's got some nice riffs from Horton, but the best ones are stuck in the background. Dave Buckner does a lot of pounding on the drums, but it's not very effective. They sound flat, not loud and raucous. At least Shaddix carries a tune here.

Getting Away With Murder is the title track here. It is also the first single from the album. Papa Roach at least goes back to their rap-metal roots here. The drums are echoing and loud, but there aren't any different riffs than we've heard for. The solos are more ethereal-sounding than true solos. Jacoby Shaddix's vocals are repetitive, but they belong with this instrument work. Unfortunately, this may be the better songs on Getting Away With Murder. Be Free is a rock song with stuttering riffs. You'll tap your foot to this song, but the lyrics aren't anything to write home about. The band is really into the drumming, but the main guitar work is kind of lame. There's not much substance to it because we've heard it all before. A single-worthy song, but not anywhere on the scale of Last Resort.

Done With You is above and beyond some of their previous songs. It's got a nice guitar riff, energetic drumming, and Shaddix's vocals are actually sung, rather than screamed off-key. Buckner's drumming is actually very solid here, rather than flat-sounding. Scars is an anguished track. Shaddix sings the verses, and does a good job, at that. They actually sound a little like Alien Ant Farm on their most recent album. Heavy again on the drumming, they seem to have turned it around. The guitar riffs, while they don't overpower the song, they do add an element of the anger that Jacoby Shaddix tries to communicate here.

Sometimes (don't confuse it with the Britney Spears or Ash songs of the same name) starts with an acoustic intro backing Shaddix's soft vocals. About thirty seconds in, the rest of the band kicks in. While the chorus is loud and proud, the verses themselves have a low-key sound. There is some nice electric guitar riffs throughout. Blanket Of Fear goes back to the hard rock. Dave Buckner does quite a lot of pounding drumming, while Shaddix's somewhat clichéd lyrics are more like the music from their first album than the abysmal failure that was Lovehatetragedy. There's some screaming, but it's not overpowering. And some excellent guitar riffs manage to make this song very good.

Tyranny Of Normality is a driving song that is repetitive, but it has some good lyrics. It sounds like the band wants to push the hard rock/metal boundary. Heavy, chugging guitars practically make your ears bleed behind Shaddix's screaming lyrics. It's the hardest I've heard Papa Roach rock since...well, ever. Very solid effort. Closing the album is Do Or Die. It's a song of hope and perseverance. They use some nu-metal guitar sounds, but Shaddix manages to sing most of the song rather than shouting. I really like this song, both because of the message, but also because the song is one of the best they've done. Rather than going rap-metal, this song is firmly loud rock music. Do Or Die is a great closer to this album.

It's never too late,
To live your life,
The time is now,
It's do or die...
-Do Or Die

I came in not wanting to like Getting Away With Murder. I thought their last album was horrible. I figured it would be more of the same-sounding tracks under a different title. The first part of the album, up until the first single, is not as good as it could have been. Once you get past that, the ability that they showed is remarkable. Instead of screaming and boring the crap out of listeners, Shaddix screams and keeps us entertained. The second half of the album shows us that he can also sing, in addition to earn himself a sore throat. If you're willing to tolerate a few below-average songs, this album will probably surprise you.

Track Ratings
1. Blood: |3/5|
2. Not Listening: |4/5|
3. Stop Looking: |2/5|
4. Take Me: |3/5|
5. Getting Away With Murder: |4/5|
6. Be Free: |4/5|
7. Done With You: |5/5|
8. Scars: |4/5|
9. Sometimes: |3/5|
10. Blanket Of Fear: |4/5|
11. Tyranny Of Normality: |5/5|
12. Do Or Die: |5/5|

Overall Rating: 46/60, which is 3.83, which rounds up to 4 stars

Other Albums By This Artist
Old Friends From Young Years, 1997
Infest, 2000
Lovehatetragedy, 2002
GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER, 2004

This review is © T. Pascarella, 2004. All rights reserved.

All mistakes are mine and mine alone. Corrections/suggestions/comments/questions are welcome and appreciated.