Papa Roach hopes to fly with ‘Metamorphosis’

By John Benson

Sure, Cleveland rocks, but there are many popular touring bands out there today that aren’t perhaps as energized or excited about coming to Northeast Ohio as some other acts were back in the ’70s and ’80s. One person who remains loyal is energetic Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix.

“[Expletive] yeah, I had a lot of really good times in Cleveland,” said Shaddix, calling from his California home. “The first time we played there was at Peabody’s DownUnder. We played there with a band from Cleveland. It started with a D, and they were hard-core, really kind of abrasive. And they were [expletive]bad. I was really impressed.”

After it was pointed out the local Cleveland band was indeed Disengage, Shaddix then talked about memorable Vans Warped Tour shows along the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

“We’ve got a history there,” Shaddix said. “I’ve just kind of had a little love for that city, and ever since we’ve had great shows there with a pile of fans that dig us, and the rock radio stations out there have been banging us. It’s cool, man. I can’t complain.”

Papa Roach’s tour will swing through The Wedge in Austintown on Saturday, where it played a sold-out show in 2007 (only a few dozen tickets remain for Saturday’s concert). The band will hit Cleveland’s House of Blues on Dec. 9, with opening act Halestorm.

While not complaining about their success, Shaddix and company have set the bar high for its latest studio effort, “Metamorphosis.” The follow-up to “The Paramour Sessions,” the band’s first nonplatinum release since its 2000 debut, “Infest,” the new 12-track effort finds the singer boasting a rock-radio friendly sound that he hopes will finally catapult the group into arena headlining status.

“We’ve always been punk-inflected metal with a rock ’n’ roll tip and a hip-hop swing,” Shaddix said. “We’ve always had that groove element to our band and that punk edge to our live show. We’ve always had those romper-stomper riffs, and for us it’s just another form of who we are. It’s like it’s all the same [expletive] just served up a little bit differently. It’s like a best of the best kind of record for us.

“This album really gave us the opportunity to say, ‘You know what, it’s time to commit. It’s time to just make it happen.’ So the record has this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants vibe, but it’s very focused. It’s hard to explain. It’s a very diverse, very focused album.”

With roughly a third of its songs written and recorded in the summer of 2008 while the band was on Crue Fest, “Metamorphosis” features the sensual “I Almost Told You That I Loved You,” the dynamic “State of Emergency” and the infectious “Into the Light.” The latter track includes a guest appearance by Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars.

“There’s one song called ‘Had Enough’ that was life altering for our band,” Shaddix said. “It was sound altering. It’s kind of a mellow song, but not like a lovey-dovey mellow song. It’s about my perception of my place in this world and how this crazy world has put its stamp on my life.”

Shaddix said the sagging economy was the inspiration behind the first single, “Lifeline.”

“Going home and seeing foreclosure signs popping up all over my neighborhood where I was living ... and seeing people get laid off and then people living off of credit cards and going in debt — that hopelessness and that desperation fueled the lyrics,” said the Sacramento, Calif., resident.

XMaterial from the Associated Press was used in this article.