As the most recent outlet of Papa Roach's collective frustration and rage, Lovehatetragedy explodes with unbridled power. Doing away with the forced rap delivery and the alias Coby Dick, Jacoby Shaddix and Papa Roach unleash their eagerly anticipated follow-up to the multi-platinum Infest.
"Life Is A Bullet" ignites with ironic lyrics like "Cause I'm in love with too many things, and I hate everything." And the lines, "Over the past five years/ I have shed my tears/ I have drank my beers/ and watched my fears fly away" sum up Papa Roach's sentiment in "She Loves Me Not," the group's first single. Unlike Infest, where his parents' divorce is the main topic, Shaddix's turbulent relationship with his wife and his coping strategy, a bottle and/or pills is Lovehatetragedy's focus. Still, he is left screaming "Life's not fair," like in Infest's "Broken Home."
"Born With Nothing, Die With Everything," is the album's standout. While, "Walking Thru Barbed Wire," -- which appeared on a pre-Infest demo CD -- is amazingly tighter and fuller-sounding than the excellent original track, holds a close #2. "Decompression Period" and "Time and Time Again," among the softest to start, still wind into screaming conclusions.
The first track, "M-80 [Explosive Energy Movement]," drives hard from the beginning, in Bad Religion style, demonstrating the diversity the band achieves on Lovehatetragedy. "Singular Indestructible Droid," features an industrial section mirroring NIN, while the background vocalists sound hauntingly reminiscent of the children in Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2."
Jerry Horton's bone-crushing guitar ignites with David Buckner's driving drum beats in riffs so razorblade sharp that they leave other modern rock acts crying like the baby on the front cover of the CD. It's intense and real enough for you to taste Jacoby Shaddix's pain, while smooth enough to leave you singing along.
