Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix says making the band's new album was a challenge but insists it’s “probably the most positive record we’ve written.”
The US rockers played last weekend’s Reading festival and are due to release F.E.A.R. (Face Everything And Rise) in 2015.
And the singer says there are positive vibes throughout the album – an important element in the band’s sound.
Shaddix tells Kerrang!: “It’s probably the most positive record we’ve written. The element is from the darkness to the light.
“I think there’s obviously been an element of hope within the despair of the music we write and I think that’s always key. It’s very important to always have that element of hope, and that’s laced throughout the record.”
The album was recorded in Las Vegas and the singer, who has battled alcohol and drug addiction, reveals he was apprehensive about visiting the city because of his past problems.
He says: “It was very challenging – I was in a lot of fear going to that city because I’ve got struggles with drugs and alcohol. I’ve been sober for a few years and I thought, ‘How am I going to go to Vegas and stay focused?’ I just had to put my spiritual armour on and go out there and do my best to be creative.
“It was a trip because when we got there, a floodgate just opened.”
As for the music direction on the group’s eighth album, Shaddix says it’s very much a Papa Roach record.
He says: “It’s a very dynamic record. It spans across the board, from heavy and reflective, to in your face and out of control. It’s everything we believe is great about Papa Roach. We’ll leave it up to the fans to be the judge of it. I love it.”
