PAPA ROACH Looks Back On South American Tour In First Part Of Video Diary

The first in a three-part video recap of PAPA ROACH's December 2016 South American tour can be seen below (video by Bryson Roatch).

Commented the band: "South America was such a whirlwind tour. We are so glad that we finally made it down there! The passion from the people was so inspiring. Even when we were exhausted, y'all were the fire we needed to push through. We left it all on the stage! The vibe and energy was amazing. We can't wait to return to celebrate life and music with you all again. You left a mark on our hearts. We are definitely coming back!"

PAPA ROACH's new album is tentatively due in early 2017. Bassist Tobin Esperance recently told A Music Blog, Yea? about the effort: "Honestly, this is the most excited we've been about music in a really long time. It's got so much energy and the message… It's an adventurous record, but it's got this… People who are fans of our first record, they're really gonna love this record. We did it different this time too — we worked with some new people that nobody knows, but they're gonna know after this record comes out. It was a different vibe. It was a really, really positive experience."

PAPA ROACH recorded the follow-up to 2015's "F.E.A.R." with Nicholas "Ras" Furlong and Colin "Doc" Brittain at Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California, which gave the band a whole different feel. Singer Jacoby Shaddix said: "Well, North Hollywood's just a gnarly little, grimey little town; it's part of Los Angeles the Valley. And we worked out of this studio called the Steakhouse, and it's right in the middle of the funk. You know, there's the ghetto helicopter flying around every night, police chases in the neighborhood, guns popping off. But it's a cool, vibey artist area as well, and so I think that that dynamic really kind of just put us in a different mindframe. Where we've been in a mansion on the top of the highest hill in Los Angeles looking out over the whole city, recording a record at the Paramour, this is the total opposite of that. I think it was important to do that."

Shaddix talked about the lyrical themes covered on the new PAPA ROACH disc, saying: "This one's just about being in the thick of it. When the bullets are all flying around your head and you're in the foxhole, doing the foxhole prayer, like, 'Can I make it out this time?' That's where this record comes from."

Jacoby also confirmed that PAPA ROACH's upcoming disc will signify a stronger return to the rap-style vocals of the band's earlier works. He explained: "I think the edge to this record, lyrically and just sonically for me, just helps identify us as to be originators in a style that's just vicious and it gets people's attention. We know whenever we drop a hip-hop beat at our shows, rocker kids love it. Rock kids try to act like they don't like the hip-hop beat. Yeah, right."

On November 1, 2016, PAPA ROACH released a new song called "Crooked Teeth" as a taste of what's to come from the upcoming album.