papa roach ego trip lp

Papa Roach’s Ego Trip: Class of 2000 survivors continue to banish the ghost of nu metal

Album review: nu metal what nu metal papa roach build on their late-career remodelling on new album ego trip.

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In 2022, Papa Roach really don’t need to prove anything to anyone. The Californian rockers have cemented their legacy within the alternative world over the last two decades and could quite easily rest on their laurels, but their insatiable desire to evolve with each passing release is admirable if nothing else. Eleventh album Ego Trip is no less in line with this outlook, continuing to build on the more pop- orientated sound the band showcased on 2019’s Who Do You Trust?

Once more – and perhaps aided this time by the band’s activity on TikTok – no song clocks in at more than three and a half minutes long. This is a presentation of 14 tracks that don’t outstay their welcome and pack in as much as they can for maximum impact. Some of the traits that have sustained Papa Roach over the years remain very much intact, such as the nu metal bounce in the guitars on opener Kill The Noise and the arena-sized choruses that propel the title track and Cut The Line to greater heights. But these are balanced by the likes of Swerve (featuring Jason Aalon Butler from Fever 333 and rapper Sueco) and Dying To Believe , which are a mix of electronics, synths and rapping that feel a million miles away from the band who gave the world Last Resort .

It’s an odd mix of styles and sounds, but it retains enough identity to be recognisably Papa Roach. That said, if you weren’t enamoured by the last album or wish they would return to something more in line with 2000’s Infest , you’re going to be disappointed once again. For everyone else, this is another brave release by a band who simply refuse to turn on autopilot. It doesn’t always stick, but what does is highly enjoyable.

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PAPA ROACH Announces 'Ego Trip' Digital Deluxe Edition

Following the massive success of their eleventh studio album "Ego Trip" , Californian rockers PAPA ROACH have announced "Ego Trip" digital deluxe edition and the long-awaited release date of "Ego Trip" standard edition on vinyl. The 20-track digital deluxe release features remixed versions of songs from the original record, as well as new music. Out today is "Cut The Line" featuring BEARTOOTH .

Also available for pre-order is the long-awaited "Ego Trip" vinyl LP, in its second edition after offering exclusively for November's Black Friday Record Store Day. The worldwide release features the standard 14-track album in unique packaging with a pop-up "Ego Trip" roller coaster inside gatefold, amusement park map, and 140g vinyl LP in opaque black, "translucent purple" for indie retailers, "strawberry shortcake" available via the band's merchandise store, and "yellow-and-black swirl" exclusively on tour, the latter two variants including a special seven-inch featuring two acoustic tracks. "Strawberry shortcake" is available now for preorder at www.paparoach.com.

PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix comments: "This album has been a journey for us — from recording the album in 2020 to having two No. 1 hit singles last year, to adding one of our favorite bands BEARTOOTH to this track, all for the first time on our own label. These songs rip and we're stoked get them out there. It's been one hell of an ego trip! See what I did there!?"

Next month PAPA ROACH will hit the road for the second leg of the "Rockzilla" tour. A co-headline run with FALLING IN REVERSE and featuring special guest HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and opener ESCAPE THE FATE , this sequel will kick off in Rochester, New York on February 1 and will include stops in 21 cities across the U.S., many of which are sold out or low on tickets.

PAPA ROACH will be traveling abroad later this year for a string of U.K. dates with DON BROCO and DANCE GAVIN DANCE , the co-headline "Cut My Heart Into Pieces" Australian trek with THE USED , followed by summer festival appearances in Europe.

"Ego Trip" deluxe track listing:

01. Kill The Noise 02. Stand Up 03. Swerve (feat. Fever 333 and Sueco) 04. Bloodline 05. Liar 06. Ego Trip 07. Unglued 08. Dying To Believe 09. Killing Time 10. Leave A Light On 11. Always Wandering 12. No Apologies 13. Cut The Line 14. I Surrender 15. Spotlight (Demo) 16. Swerve (Rockzilla Remix) (with HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD) 17. Cut The Line (feat. BEARTOOTH) 18. Stand Up (feat. The Battle Drum Marching Band) 19. Stand Up (Bloody Beatroots Remix) 20. Dying to Believe (Acoustic)

Press photo courtesy of Bryson Roatch / Big Picture Media

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Papa Roach Ego Trip LP

You don’t get to spend two decades making face-smacking alt-rock and metal without oodles of talent. That is all! Ego Trip demonstrates this talent; not with weedling solos and constant virtuosity, but by laying down an utterly stomping fourteen tracks of angst-ridden brilliance.

Now, for those who haven’t been paying attention since Infest , I would say that this record will surprise you. It would be forgivable to mistake a short sample of this record for Amen as it’s in that more visceral style these songs are hurled down. Except there’s more rap-style sections, which of course you’d recognise – though they have changed a fair bit since that turn-of-the-century second album.

There are some really huge tracks on this album. ‘Dying to Believe’ is an anthem of epic nu-metal proportions, you’ve got edginess and tight chops in ‘Kill the Noise’, and strong beats with unhinged guitars in songs such as ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Bloodline’. You’ve got some oddball genius in there two, the rhythmic ‘Liar’ and the looped feel of ‘Swerve’ provide a brilliant thematic switch, with FEVER 333 and Sueco also featuring on the latter of these two.

You don’t find many chorus lines as big as ‘Unglued’ out in the wild, made bigger by the pared-back verses. This part of the album blisters along, until the mood is switched with ‘Leave a Light On’, a song that builds to an emotional crescendo and shows off really melodic vocals. The mood continues through the introduction to ‘Always Wandering’, though this morphs into a rock anthem with (stay with me) flickers of the 1975s guitar licks and Pale Waves keys to fade us out. The section continues with ‘No Apologies’, which is a big emo track with metal guitars. On an album with such uncompromising alt-rock weight, this is a surprising but excellent addition.

The other clever aspect of the mood change is that it arrives quickly, but they build their way back out in steps. When ‘Cut the Line’ hits, it’s hard to say that this is where the punch comes back as it’s already been fading back in through the previous arrangement of songs. In any case, ‘I Surrender’ is full tilt and if you intend to simply play the album again (like I’ve done a few times) the ordering of songs means that you’re ready for ‘Kill The Noise’ once again.

The album is immense, solid, and every bit one of their best.

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Written by Fenton on 9th April 2022

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Papa Roach - Ego Trip LP (Test Press)

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PAPA ROACH deliver their most diverse album yet, bringing together themes of rock, rap, alternative and pop in a style that is authentically their own, on their 11th full-length album in the 22nd year of their careers. 

Tracks include the hard left turn of “Swerve” featuring Jason Aalon of Fever 333 and Sueco, the 4-week-at-#1 Mainstream Rock Hit “Kill The Noise”, the anthemic “Dying To Believe”, and the latest #1 Mainstream Rock Hit “No Apologies”. The band continues to veer across traditional boundaries that most bands barely have the nerve to occupy, creating one of the most diverse and fearless discographies in Rock music. 

LP TRACKLISTING

• KILL THE NOISE 
• SWERVE feat. JASON AALON of FEVER333 & SUECO 
• DYING TO BELIEVE 
• KILLING TIME 
• LEAVE A LIGHT ON
• ALWAYS WANDERING
• NO APOLOGIES
• CUT THE LINE
• I SURRENDER 

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