ELITE : REVIEW
ELITE : REVIEW
Papa Roach - Crooked Teeth Eleven Seven Music | Release Date : 19th May 2017
Back with their 9th studio album ‘ Crooked Teeth ’, Californian rock veterans ‘ Papa Roach ’ have been one of the most established and popular rock bands in the modern era since their debut album ‘ Old Friends from Young Years ’ hit the shelves all the way back in 1997 . A lot of fans have criticised Papa Roach in recent times for leaving their old musical routes behind , but it seems as though Jacoby Shaddix and the gang may have regained a love for their much loved full-on ( no holds barred ) approach ! A string introduction on a Papa Roach album ?? Yes you are hearing this correctly as there is a beautiful opening of violin notes combined with a quintessential piano melody on the opening track ‘ Break The Fall ’! This is before listeners are greeted with a typical grungey guitar riff and sharp , destructive vocals from front man Jacoby Shaddix . It is very noticeable from just this track alone that Shaddix is using a lot more rap-like verses and choruses that weren ’ t as present on previous albums such as ‘ The Paramour Sessions ’ and ‘ Metamorphosis ’. This album keeps delivering track after track in so many different ways and on so many levels , but keep a particular ear out for ‘ My Medication ’, ‘ American Dreams ’ and ‘ Help ’ which offer something a little different but still manage to stick to the true roots and core values of the band . There are also guest vocal appearances from Skylay Grey and Machine Gun Kelly on the tracks ‘ Periscope ’ and ‘ Sunrise Trailer Park ’ respectively . It is easy to say that Papa Roach seem to have listened to their fans when it came to composing this album as it feels like that they have restored a great sense of passion in every single vocal note , guitar riff , drum beat and bass line which seem to have lacked in their other albums in recent times . Whether you are a hardcore Papa Roach fan , love rock music as a whole or just want to check out something brand new , then ‘ Crooked Teeth ’ is the album for you ! Make sure you check out the full deluxe edition which includes 3 brand new bonus tracks and the full live album ‘ Papa Roach : Live At Fillmore Detroit ’ as this is a right treat !
Words by Kristofer Billingham
Rancid - Trouble Maker Epitaph Records | Release Date : 9th June 2017
Rancid ’ s success through the years has been achieved by their ability to mix Oi !, ska and hardcore punk , but remaining fresh and relevant at the same time ! Trouble Maker , the band ’ s 9th studio album has that similar vibe that fans have grown to know and love , but at the same time lacks much originality . There are a lot of songs with catchy choruses including An Intimate Closeup of A Street Punk Trouble Maker , Make It Through and Molly Make Up Your Mind , but only a few songs see the band taking some musical risks . Although ska is nothing new to Rancid , Where I ’ m Going is the only ska track on the record and has an uptempo rock ‘ n ’ roll feel fit with a Chuck Berry style solo from guitarist Lars ( Frederiksen ) making it an uplifting highlight . With a similar old time flavour , Bovver Rock ‘ n ’ Roll ’ s Status Quo rip-off riff makes the song feel a bit too familiar . As fun as it is , it is too polished and not as powerful as it could be ; Album opener Track Fast , midway track All American Neighbourhood and the final track This Is Not The End are the nearest to the street punk / hardcore genres on Trouble Maker making them nice surprises for listeners , but sound like demos of earlier work . Most of Trouble Maker comes very close to Social Distortion territory , with Country-like arrangements and chord progressions over more uptempo and hard-hitting drums . Even with Tim Armstrong ’ s unique snarly vocals , you sometimes need to remind yourself what you ’ re listening to . It ’ s great that Rancid have delivered yet another fun record that die hard fans should be happy with , but sadly Trouble Maker is pretty disappointing when compared to the rest of the bands discography …
Words by Jonathan Miller
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