Papa Roach – Infest
Album Review by Adam McCann
Label : Dreamworks Records
Year : 2000
Infestation
The turn of the millennium would prove to be the pinnacle for the nu-metal movement, multi-platinum selling albums from Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Slipknot and Papa Roach caused millions of teens worldwide to adopt baggy jeans, chains, oversized hoodies and cause widespread moral panic amongst parents.
In a genre wrought with clichés and a bloated excess, the main question to ask is, ‘was there any integrity in this movement? Or was it just a heavy metal fad?’ Well, ‘Infest’ landed in 2000 and did its best to meld the worlds of rap and metal together, much in the same way that Faith No More and Rage Against the Machine had done earlier in the 90’s. However, ‘Infest’ took a more contemporary approach, it didn’t deal with the political or avant-garde issues like the formers, but it did deal with issues closer to their fans, self-harm, broken homes and mental illness. This gave ‘Infest’ a relatable integrity to the masses, particularly aided by high profile placing on soundtracks of the time such as the vampire horror movie ‘Queen of the Damned’, the perpetual fuckery of ‘Jackass’ and big release video games such as ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2’ and ‘Gran-Turismo 3’. The continuing heavy rotation play of ‘Last Resort’ on radio and music television is still testament to the popularity of this album.
There are parts of the album though that haven’t dated particularly well, the heavy guitar tone and effects and DJ scratching are coupled to an expensive 2000’s modern polish which makes ‘Infest’ sound very of its time. However, there are some gems here, ‘Between Angels and Insects’ does not get the love it deserves when compared to ‘Last Resort’ and the hidden track reggae beat of ‘Tightrope’ is possibly one of the best songs that Papa Roach ever recorded. Moreover, if you look beyond the clichés and nu-metal labels, you might just find something that is a little more enjoyable than previously thought.
Rating : 70/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
