Artist: Papa Roach
Album: Getting Away with Murder
Label: Geffen Records
Reviewer: John Frank

Getting Away With Murder has a title that you would expect from Papa Roach, it has a somewhat depressing tone that follows their previous releases such as lovehatetragedy and Old Friends from Young Years. If you are familiar with the band, then you know they have a sound that is pretty popular on the radio, as it has the guitar riffs of a hard rock band, but maintains some melody that catches on with many people. The band has had a lot of success with their albums, but not quite as much on tours such as Ozzfest and Anger Management, where they just didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the lineup. A line from the song “Not Listening” can perfectly describe what the album needed to prove for this band, “I’m not a failure, I’ve got something to prove”. With that said, the only question is whether they proved anything or not.

The opening track is probably one of the best I have heard from these guys. “Blood” is a great mix of lyrics with meaning combined with a catchy chorus and great guitars to back up Jacoby’s raspy voice on the verses. It is clear by the time the second plays through that this disc is going in the direction similar to lovehatetragedy as opposed to the earlier sounds of Infest. Judging by the titles, “Not Listening”, “Stop Talking”, “Getting Away with Murder”… the typical anger is present in the lyrics of these songs, which can mean either good or bad things for the band. It is very easy to have sincerity and originality when the words are filled with angst and pain of hard times, but at the same time many will attack the band as just playing along with all the other depressing bands out there.

There is no real standout track after the opener until you reach the fifth song, which is the eponymous track, “Getting Away with Murder”. At least in my area, this song has been very well received on the radio and almost everyone that hears it says that it is a good song for the band to put out. I don’t believe it is the best song on the CD, but it is one of the top 4. It is the following song, “Be Free”, that I feel could be the next big single for Papa Roach. It has a bridge that almost everyone can relate to, “I’m so sick and tired of being sick and tired”. And the chorus is a great example of how well this band can put together words to make a good line. Up until this point, the album sounds a lot like lovehatetragedy, which is a good sound, but some people would find it very repetitive.

Two songs that demonstrate the band’s desire to break out of the routine are “Scars” and “Sometimes”, these tracks are placed back to back on the album and are a much slower pace than the rest of the disc, showcasing Jacoby’s ability to carry a tune as well as scream. The end of the CD somewhat fades out and could be considered as a weak ending to what was a fairly strong first half of the album. Overall, I think this disc is a good album, and well worth listening to, but it is a little too much like the last release to prove to everyone that Papa Roach is going in the direction they need to be going in. Anyone who is a fan of the band, or likes the current single will likely enjoy this album, but I don’t think it will draw a large number of new fans, as it is basically a sequel to lovehatetragedy. I think this is a solid album, and it proves the band has talent, but as far as their critics will be concerned, this is not the proof that Papa Roach is not a failure, hopefully the next album will bring something totally new to the game and show that these guys are here to stay.

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