PAPA ROACH Vinyl & CDs

Review: It would be unfair on Papa Roach not to note how well they've aged. Formed in 1993, the California nu metallers were relatively early advocates of a hip hop infused take on the hard rock, and rode on the crest of that wave as it turned into a veritable tsunami, the sub-genre suddenly becoming a dominant force within mainstream music circles, not just niche.

Ultimately, though, it would be their lack of definite commercial peak - compared with peers, many of who were doing it for less time and would enjoy much shorter lifespans going forward - that seems to have saved the day. Ego Trip more than proves our point. Studio album number 11, the 2022 outing feels fresh as the 1997 debut, Old Friends from Young Years, managing to swerve predictability and repetition via tracks that define the sound itself, but also help reassure us that it's still alive and kicking.