The Connection (Papa Roach album)

Background

Jacoby Shaddix has described the album as a "rediscovery of the basic elements of Papa Roach." He states: "We kind of went back and looked at the history of our band and really thought about… Creatively, what evolutions have we gone through? When we came in, it was, like, metal and hip-hop and nu-metal, and then we kind of got more into straight-ahead rock and then we added pop elements to our band. So this record just encompasses everything we’ve done from the beginning to where we are currently as a band; it just kind of connects the dots of all the elements of our sound over the years." "There's some hip-hop, more keyboards than before, sound loops, textures - it's dynamic, diverse and vulnerable. That is Papa Roach. We have never sounded better", said Shaddix.

Regarding the album's title, Shaddix stated it was one of many different titles the band went through. "We always just kept coming back to ‘The Connection.’" stated Shaddix. "What ‘The Connection’ means to us, it’s our connection to the music, it’s the connection of this music to the fans, it’s the connection that we make onstage with our music, it’s the connection from fan-to-fan on the social Internet marketing media world."

Track listing

All tracks written by Papa Roach, except where noted.

Sales

"The Connection", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 2 via Eleven Seven Music. It charted higher and sold more than Papa Roach's previous album, 2010's "Time For Annihilation ... On the Road & On the Record", which opened with 16,000 units to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart, but underperformed compared to the band's 2009 CD, "Metamorphosis", which premiered at #8 with nearly 44,000 copies.

"The Connection" has sold more than 109,000 copies in the US as of 2015.

Reception

The album has received positive reviews, with a 62% rating on Metacritic. A good review come from AltSounds with 87% out of 100% saying: "With a sound that’s familiar yet new, Papa Roach have managed to assemble what could actually be their greatest album in a long time. It was a brave venture into pastures new, but the added effects and electronic influences have overall produced great results. Even with nearly twenty years under their studded belts, with The Connection in hand, the cocksure foursome are poised, strong and ready for the kill even more so than I realised possible."

A mixed review comes from Allmusic with 3 stars out of 5 saying: "Papa Roach's seventh studio album, The Connection, finds the California band finally striking a balance between its early roots as a nu-metal/rap-rock outfit and its more recent interest in '80s-style Sunset Strip hard rock. Featuring production from Sixx: A.M. frontman James Michael as well as Goldfinger's John Feldmann, The Connection includes some creatively slick sounds that flow from buzzy, processed distortion to pulsating, atmospheric electronic flourishes. In some ways, The Connection is perhaps the band's most contemporary-sounding album, though it still remains reverent to the nu-metal sound of the late '90s when it comes down to the overall feel of each tune."

There was harsh criticism by professional pages like Sputnikmusic giving it 1.5 stars out of 5, quote: "The Connection album really is an ironic name. If anything, the exact opposite is the release, an absolute disconnect from the Papa Roach we used to know and love. Not only is it one of the worst albums I've heard in recent years, it makes me wonder why this band ever received so much attention in the first place. The only thing That keeps this album from being a complete and utter failure is its use of electronics. They do not save the songs, but in some cases slightly more, they make them enjoyable."

Personnel

Chart positions

Album - Billboard