Papa Roach

If Korn's expansive Untouchables slammed the coffin lid on narrow-minded nü-metal, Papa Roach's second album--released just one week later--pounds in the nails. An abrupt turn away from the rap-rock that characterized the band's triple-platinum debut, lovehatetragedy is a sleek, punk-inflected rock record that's a necessary step forward for these boys...

By Jason Bracelin

July 4, 2002

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

If Korn's expansive Untouchables slammed the coffin lid on narrow-minded nü-metal, Papa Roach's second album--released just one week later--pounds in the nails. An abrupt turn away from the rap-rock that characterized the band's triple-platinum debut, lovehatetragedy is a sleek, punk-inflected rock record that's a necessary step forward for these boys.

Though the first single, "She Loves Me Not," bridges the gap between P. Roach of old and new by tacking some barbed rhymes to the end of a surprisingly melodic rock wind sprint, elsewhere, there's no rapping or mangling of black English vernacular to be found. Instead, lovehatetragedy teems with jagged, combustible rockers like "M-80 (Explosive Energy Movement)," a two-minute tickling of the adrenal glands; the churning "Singular Indestructible Droid," which rides a mammoth, burping bass line before exploding into a vicious, screaming refrain; and "Walking Thru Barbed Wire," an emotional eddy with saber-tooth guitars. Jacoby Shaddix plumbs his upper register on the swirling "Time and Time Again" and the pleading "Decompression Period," both of which owe more to STP than ODB. It's a startling transformation, as Papa Roach goes from pest to predator, leaving neo metal to rest in pieces.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.