Customer Reviews

Infest

5 star:		(185)
4 star:		(80)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

Before I start my review, I must say that I am not new to Papa Roach. Although I don't live on the West Coast, I have been listening to them for quite a while now, and they have been one of my favorite bands for a very long time. So when I gave Infest a first listen, I was very suprised to find a rather new Papa Roach, for better or for worse.

The first thing I noticed was that it was clear they had used a new producer, and it didn't suprise me that it was Orgy's Jay Bumgardner. It was odd to hear a band that I was so used to making straight-out songs that could be duplicated in a live setting to be using so many overdubs, a DJ on two tracks, guest vocalists, guitar effects, and vocal effects. Now, this isn't necessarily bad, but definately different.

Thankfully, all of the tracks are great...so far, I have listened through the CD 3 full times without stopping, and I've loved every song. My least favorite so far is Never Enough, but I'm sure it will grow on me. My favorites are Infest, Between Angels and Insects, and Revenge. Suprisingly, only 4 tracks (not including the secret song) were old songs. I was dissapointed that they didn't put on Legacy, Barbed Wire, or My Bad Side, but that's alright. It was funny listeneing to songs like Revenge (formerly Revenge In Japanese on the 5 Tracks Deep EP) because I have heard the old version so many times, it really threw me off to hear new little nuances and slight tempo changes. Also, I love the song Tightrope, and I was shocked to find it on there as a secret song in the form of some laid-back, ganja smoking reaggae version. But it is still excellent.

All in all, this is a great CD, definately the best of 2000 so far. If I had never heard P-Roach before, I would probably be astounded by this release, but because I know they can do a little better, it didnt have quite as much appeal. But don't get me wrong, ... GO OUT AND BUY IT, YOU WON'T REGRET!

Okay, so yeah, it is VERY Disturbing to see that "People who bought this title also bought titles from: Nelly." But hey, don't even pay any mind to the MTV kids under 13. Papa Roach is a very good band who happened to have a song that blew up on TRL. That doesn't make them sell-outs, and it especially doesn't make the music any worse than it was before it got big. Hear me, Amir? Fact is Papa Roach mix alot of styles, and the one thing that caught my ear was how they mix punk and reggae in with the usual Iron Maiden-type riffs and aggro-male lyrics. Even though the lyrics aren't great, for some reason it's easier to take P-Roach seriously than say, Limp Bizkit. Why? Maybe it's because this band actually has some indie cred, unlike say, Disturbed. Okay, so Coby Dick comes off as his last name sometimes when he's on TV, but the music is good. The best songs on this album are probably the ultra-catchy Last Resort, Broken Home, Between Angels and Insects, and the bonus track which I absolutely love for it's deep reggae-tinged bass. You can say what you want, but this is for the kids who voted for Incubus and the deftones on TRL, not the kids who voted for Nelly.

After hearing Papa Roach's single "Last Resort" for the first time, I knew I had to buy the album. Upon listening to it the first time, a few of the songs sounded similar, but most seemed to stand out very well. The strength and aggression put out on this album is incredible, and I can't wait to get my hands on their older stuff. Coby has a great voice and it blends in very well with the powerful guitar riffs going on. I personally like the songs where he sings more than screams, although the screaming is very appropriate for the songs it's in. My fave song on this album definitely has to be "Binge", because the melody is incredible. Other faves are the secret track (which to my ears sounds similar to some Incubus tunes), "Broken Home", "Revenge", and "Between Angels and Insects". The reason I gave 4 stars was because a couple of the songs aren't as strong as the others and don't stick out in your mind. But for the most part, it's a monster major label debut, and I definitely hope to see more stuff from these guys in the future.

When I first heard "Last Resort" on the radio, the main riff sounded familiar...sure enough, lifted straight from Iron Maiden's "Hallowed be Thy Name". Then, after the incredibly moronic second single, "Broken Home", a third single has appeared, "Between Angels and Insects" I believe is the title. This riff? Straight from Iron Maiden's "Prowler". I read in an interview that these guys claim they don't listen to Maiden, but listening to their sophmoric lyrics, I doubt that they were smart enough to come up with the classical progressions by themselves. I haven't even heard the whole CD, but I don't have to. These guys are totally unoriginal and way too trendy.

no offense to those who actually like them, but to me, an impartial listener who neither liked nor disliked the band before i bought INFEST, this band seems kind of fake. they seem to be cashing in on the trend of rebelling for no real reason, and encourage impressionable youngsters to play into their fake "angst." I mean, what's this singer's problem, anyway? What is he rebelling against? Making a lot of money? Getting played on MTV and being hounded by young women? It seems to me that this person is one of those types who tries to sell a product by trying to come off as "deep" and "troubled." Listening to his snotty vocals and fake word-emphasis ('saaahfachhation,' noooo breathing...) is really just annoying and I'd much rather listen to some other band do it who has a less transparent version of a "message."

This is a band that has been around for several years rocking out their brand of rap-core. I have a couple of their earlier cds/demos and here on their major-label debut you can easily tell just how much this band has matured. Though I call it rap-core the music really has more of a laid-back groove dominated by clever and memorable guitar riffs and accentuated by a steady drum beat. Not nearly as aggressive as "Old Friends From Young Years", "Infest" does have some agressive moments though with more of an emphasis on melody likened to their cd "Five Tracks Deep". Vocally, the lead singer has a kind of ragesque voice that leads the listener on a voyage of rap-laden lyrics accompanied by catchy melodic choruses. Fave tracks on the cd include "Revenge" (an updated version of one of their older songs), "Thrown Away", "Last Resort", "Between Angels & Insects", and "Infest". Most of the songs will have you rockin, rappin and singin along but about 3-4 songs just sound childish and not deserving of what Papa Roach is capable of creating; hence the four stars rather than five. Nevertheless an impressive cd and highly recommended. Other upcoming debuts to check out: Glassjaw, A Perfect Circle, Professional Murder Music, Taproot, Sicboy, Apartment 26, Saliva, and Systematic. Also check out Papa Roach's earlier stuff if you can.

I heard about this cd before it even came out from their music video for the song "Last Resort". Immediately, the band caught my attention. I used Napster to search for mp3s and got even more awesome songs. I bought the cd the day it came out and it is great! The rap undertones in the singing mixed with the heavy edge of rock make for an amazing team. There is nothing original about this rock/rap band but it has earned a high ranking on my band list.

This actually isn't the first Papa Roach album, but it's the first one that was heard about. The disks songs are great and definetly worth buying. Here's what I think of the songs:

1. Infest (3/5) - Not the best, but a decent introduction.

2. Last Resort (4/5) - Everyone knows this song. Its a great song, but I dont really think it's one the albums bests. If your one of those people who only buy singles of the popular song, or the get the full album but only listen to this song, your missing out on a lot, but its still a very good song.

3. Broken Home (5/5) - Awesome. This song really got me into Pap Roach after I got the CD. It's a harder CD that shows the groups hard rock elements.

4. Dead Cell (4/5) - Another hard song. One of the best on the cd.

5. Between Angels and Insects (3/5) - Another trendy song that sort of got over played. It isnt the best on the album, but listenable.

6. Blood Brothers (5/5) - Another one of there great songs. The guitar is awesome, and the lyrics mean something. This song is only on the explicit version tho, and "Legacy" is on the edited one, which is an awful song.

7. Revenge (3/5) - Uhh...ok song, I guess.

8. Snakes (2/5) - Probably the worst song on the album. It doesnt really have a good beat, and the lyrics suck. One flaw on the disc.

9. Never Enough (5/5) - The Best song on the cd. The song sticks in your head, and has really meaningful lyrics. Everything about this song is great.

10. Binge (5/5) - Another great song that sticks in your head.

11. Thrown Away (5/5) - And once again another very good hard rock song. It shows the bands heavy metal emotional side. Second best song of the CD.

12. Tightrope (5/5) - The CD's secret track at the end of 11. The end of this CD is really good, and this shows Papa Roach's more melodic sound.

Hope this helps u out! I actually am reviewing the cd one day before Lovehatetragedy comes out, and I hope its as good maybe even better than Infest.

I wouldn't normally review music but my ditaste with this album leaves me feeling as if i have no choice. First of all, I'd like to mention that this album was given to me and that i never had any interest in purchasing it after hearing, for example, "Last Resort" on the radio. Supposedly, we are supposed to be able to "relate" to the lyrics in this song and the rest of the album. And sure, as pathetic as it is, if you're a normal american teen, you probably can in some way relate to the aggressive lyrics in these songs about suicide, a "broken home", the ills of capitalism and conformity ("between insects and angels"). Thus, these are relevant issues to the listeners of Papa Roach.

Hence, my problem with Papa Roach is not the subject matter discussed per se, but rather the way in which this subject matter is presented. Rather than present thought-provoking and intelligent lyrics, Papa Roach instead gives us lyrical arrangments that are cliche and probably could have been written by a grade schooler. There is not a single instance on this album when i find myself saying "Wow, i wish i thought of that" or "wow, that's such an interesting way of putting it". I would reccomend to Papa Roach that they invest in a thesaurus. In conjunction with the banality of Papa Roach's lyrics (i am not saying that the subject matter is not volatile and moving, only that it is presented in a terrible manner), they feel the need to repeat these lyrics over and over. As anybody who has heard "Last Resort" knows, Papa Roach is big on the formulatic way of writing songs these days: a catchy intro, a few sets of lyrics, each time followed by a chorus that is repeated ad nauseam, with some sort of interlude about 2/3 of the way through (the "i can't stand living this way" segment in "Last Resort"). The choruses are repeated over and over. Apparently Papa Roach assumes that its listeners are unable to comprehend the already unoriginal lyrics the first ten times that they were repeated in the first chorus... so onto the second chorus. In short, if it was really profound, they wouldn't have to repeat the same words so many times.

Finally, this lack of creativity brings to mind another problem. Now, we all know that many musicians are out to present social commentary, etc. However, as i indicated above, there are many innovative and extremely creative ways of doing this that not only reject what is being criticized, but also areable to establish new values, whatever they may be (i should note that i am using a basic forumation found in the work of Nietzsche). Thus, in these cases, although the artist starts from an issue which she wishes to criticize, she is able to move into new territories and present the critique in an original manner, and in doing so, give deeper insights into what is being critisized as well as "plot new territories" in terms of establishing new values of her own to replace those which she finds conflict with. However, this certainly is not the case with Papa Roach--each and every song on this album fails to act in a positive manner--and by "positive manner" i DO NOT mean "dont worry, be happy--I DO MEAN move away from that which they criticize and present in a negative manner. They are so intimately bound to that which they critisize and present in a negative manner, i feel that it is not at all innappropriate to say that Papa Roach should THANK their abusive and neglecting parents, they should THANK the capitalist system and conformity because without that which they take issue with, THEY WOULD HAVE NO LYRICS. By this, i mean that, in failing to present any positive or original content, Papa Roach is only reactionary to thier problems--thus, take away the abusive parent and capitalism, and you no longer have Papa Roach. Overall, Papa Roach starts with volatile subject matter and thinks that by making a lot of noise and spouting out mundane lyrics they can somehow add... Well, they can't add anything because they are purely reactionary to thier problems. For those who think that Papa Roach's lyrics are insightful,i would reccomend that you, even if for just a moment, move outside of the rap-rock genre (and so much of rock in general today) that apparently thinks taht the rest of the world wants to hear them whine about their problems.

Why is it when a genre is created tons of Xerox bands must surface? Think of how many bands were just bad carbon copies of the Beatles, the Clash, Nirvana, and now Faith No More/Rage Against the Machine/Korn. Don't get me wrong, I hate Korn too but I don't deny they were one of the forefathers of "rap-metal". I don't even know what to say about these guys because I can't believe their faults aren't obvious to everyone: they make a living ripping off the ideas presented by past artists, their songwriting is completely worthless (just take a look at Broken Home's lyrics, it sounds like something a 7th grader wrote), and none of them are particularly great musicians. Please track down every copy of this album in your hometown and break them with a hammer in the name of innovative music.