Ego Trip

More than two decades after 2000's slashing "Last Resort" made them stars, Papa Roach continue to fly the nu-metal flag while using savvy collaborations to keep their music sounding fresh. With their 11th studio album, the Californian group once again work with songwriters Nick Furlong and Jason Evigan (who also contributed to the preceding <i>Who Do You Trust?</i> and <i>Crooked Teeth</i>), while welcoming new faces such as producer/writer WZRD BLD (ICE NINE KILLS, Silent Planet). The result is an album that illuminates the band's strengths: aggressive hard rock (as heard on the groove-heavy rap-rock standout "Bloodline" and electro-shocked "Dying To Believe") and, on the flip side, introspective ballads (such as the solemn "Leave a Light On"). <i>Ego Trip</i>'s major highlight is the hip-hop-influenced "Swerve", which features livewire frontman Jacoby Shaddix going toe-to-toe vocally with FEVER 333's Jason Aalon Butler and rapper Sueco. "Swerve" isn't just a generation-bridging song—it's a sterling example of how Papa Roach sound as energised as ever.