It begins with a suitably ominous sound approaching from the distance, like a juggernaut bearing down full beam on a empty highway.
Then it bursts into a crashing guitar riff, welcoming you to Papa Roach - population: four pissed off young men from California.
The opening title track defines the Roach raison d'etre - frontman Coby Dick rants about the state of the world and the fact that no-one understands him over a background of crunching guitar and the requisite slightly funky (teetering on the brink of hip-hop) drumming.
Massive American hit 'Last Resort' features a spiralling guitar riff that sounds for all the world like it's been purloined from Eddie Van Halen. Mind you, that didn't hurt Alice In Chains either.
'Broken Home' tackles the issue of dysfunctional families with admirable frankness - "I know my mother loves me/But does my father even care" - while the chorus' cry of "What is wrong with me" reaches out to the legions of angst-ridden teenagers.
However, the music is pure Rage Against The Machine circa their debut album. Dick's screams sound eerily like Zack De La Rocha while the song's climax is a dead steal from 'Bullet In The Head'.
'Between Angels and Insects' laments the greed of the world - "Fuck your money/Fuck your possessions/I don't need that shit" is the resoundingly clear message.
'Blood Brothers' attacks commercialism by likening it to the law of the jungle and features a truly adrenaline-pumping ending as the band sprint away while Dick screams "Kill" over and over again.
The first band in a long time to address their audience on their level, style-wise Papa Roach are a triumph - an antidote for the masses disaffected with pop's domination of the charts. And while their music may be a mix'n'match of every style from the last decade in metal, hence the rap inflections, it's still pretty compelling listening.
