Papa Roach: Lovehatetragedy

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Papa Roach's major label debut Infest arrived just as the term "nu-metal" was coming into common usage. And while the beardy Californian quartet didn't have those traditional NM accoutrements — the baseball caps and the turntablist — they had in singer Coby Dick a frontman who could out-angst them all in his best Dudespeak.

Dick has reverted to his proper name Jacoby Shaddix for Lovehatetragedy and the album shows some parallel musical maturity — less of the Rage Against the Machine-styled shoutalongs, more invigorating, more melodic, hard'n'fast numbers which makes for one a satisfying album of Angry American Rock.

Stand-out tracks include the quickstep opener M-80, the ciggy-lighter-waver Decompression Period, the sensitive-guy metal of She Loves Me Not and Tool-ish, 9/11-referencing epic title track.

Points off for the pointless cover of the Pixies' Gouge Away among the bonus tracks, but this album is proof that Papa Roach are a smarter band than they first looked.

Label: Dreamworks