With the end of the 90s, a hybrid of hard rock, rap and hip-hop began to dominate the radio. One of the bands that understood this was Papa Roach , who on April 25, 2000, released their first album on a major label, Infest .
The seeds of P. Roach were sown years earlier, with an independently produced EP and album, Old Friends From Young Years . A demo CD circulated among record labels and reached DreamWorks, who decided to produce Infest . The timing was perfect to ride the wave of nu-metal, which was dominating everything at the same time.
Most of the tracks on the album are based on the bass, which helps create the groove and hip-hop feel. The most famous song on the album, "Last Resort," has an interesting story. Many accuse the band of copying a riff from Iron Maiden , more specifically from "Genghis Khan." However, vocalist Jacobby Shadixx revealed that he only discovered Iron Maiden in 2004, during a music festival.
Inspired by Iron Maiden or not, “Last Resort” brought the band into the world of rock. Every teenager spent the summer of 2000 listening to the track and watching the music video. One day, the band was playing small shows on an alternative stage at the Vans Warped Tour , the next they were headlining main stages at Ozzfest .
What may explain this explosion is the lyrics themselves, which are quite powerful. “Most of Jacobby’s lyrics are about personal experiences and observations. He didn’t have a happy childhood. His main focus is showing children that they are not alone. So that they don’t have to feel like there’s something wrong with them,” explained guitarist Jerry Horton in an interview.
Over time, Papa Roach realized that to survive, they needed to evolve their sound. Some of what was labeled nu metal gave way to energetic hard rock on future albums . But the openness with which Shadixx expressed his lyrical content on Infest remained and created a connection with fans that lasts to this day.
The singer told Loudwire : “We have a classic song and an album that was the soundtrack to many teenagers' lives. Many kids came up to me and said, 'This was the album that made me want to play guitar.' Or 'It was because of this album that I started to like rock.' Knowing that, that we're part of rock history in some way… Even if it's just a small part, it's amazing.”
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