On their sixth full-length album Isolate and Medicate, multi-platinum alternative rock trio Seether – Shaun Morgan [vocals, guitar], Dale Stewart [bass, backing vocals], and John Humphrey [drums] – strip their trademark melodic thrash to its core and deliver the most poignant, passionate, and powerful record of their illustrious career. With rigorous minimalism and maturity, chief songwriter Shaun Morgan – long one of rock’s most unheralded melodists, has become a composer of deep emotion and clear-eyed vulnerability. The band too has developed into one of rock’s most fearsome units, playing with precision, grit and authority, yet still light on their feet. After 15+ years of hardscrabble success, it’s evident that Seether felt like survival was not enough. They had something to prove with this new album – somewhere farther to go.

One reason for the new approach must surely be Seether’s close partnership with ace producer Brendan O’Brien (Springsteen, Pearl Jam). More like a member of the band than a hired gun, O’Brien repeatedly championed Morgan as one of music’s most gifted songwriters and vocalists and Seether as one of rock’s most extraordinary bands. His unrelenting faith in their talent and potential has been something of a North Star for Seether, helping them struggle through and outlast some very dark times.

Recognizing that he needed to limit distractions, in early 2013 Morgan went about constructing a refuge in his New Hampshire home – a space where these new songs could develop and take shape. “I actually built a room that I could write in,” he recalls. “I personally pulled out the carpet, put in wood flooring, decorated, and painted. After getting off the road, it was a process of preparation to get the environment just right. I made a place that I felt comfortable and creative in. I was able to be safe and isolated, concentrating on writing music instead of dealing with the distractions that come with daily life.”

Lyrically, Morgan has never been afraid to look his demons in the eye. The people in these songs confront the truth with simmering rage; it’s the fuel they need to make them feel alive. “The whole record is a collection of diary entries,” Morgan revealed. “It’s just where I’m at and what I’m going through. I’m writing songs about getting through whatever situations I’m in at the time. These songs deal with relationships and life situations.”

Morgan emerged with a collection of fleshed-out ideas that the musicians honed during rehearsals together in drummer John Humphrey’s native Oklahoma. By the time they assembled with O’Brien to record the album at Hollywood’s Henson Studios in January 2014, their vision had clearly come into focus.

“It felt so natural,” explains Humphrey. “When we get together, there’s an indescribable chemistry. That’s all over this album. The three of us can jam together and finish a song pretty quickly. We were really focused. These guys are my second family. We’re tight musically and otherwise.”

The band cut the entire album in sixteen days. The swift recording pace did not allow them to smother the tracks with overproduction, but rather gave the songs a chance to breathe. On working with O’Brien, bassist Dale Stewart enthused, “He’s like a fourth band member at this point. We understand each other. He likes to get in there and work quickly and he encourages us to be ourselves. We often followed our first instinct. That allowed us to capture the moment.”

The album opener, “See You At The Bottom,” quickly locks in with brutal force as Morgan’s Beatles-meets-Nirvana wail comes screaming out of the speakers. From there, the album never lets up.

Gnashing riffs underpin another infectious chorus on the virulent first single, “Words As Weapons.” Morgan’s remarkable ear for indelible melodies is truly the band’s secret weapon. It’s what makes Isolate and Medicate so damn listenable. Morgan makes unrelenting despair a fun listen.

“Same Damn Life” – a boiling rejection of suburban sprawl juxtaposed against Morgan’s surgery falsetto – is a pop metal surprise. “I always felt like there was something there,” Morgan said of the song. “It started from a riff and went into a vocal idea. I’m a big fan of The Beatles. It’s fun to do something with that pop element. Those are the songs that stick with you.”

The album’s centerpiece, “Crash,” is quite possibly the most beautiful song Seether has ever recorded. Gorgeous vocal lines and warm, fuzzed-out guitars cascading into pulsating wall-of-sound atmospherics mark an undeniable creative peak for the band. “It’s different from what we’ve done in the past and that excited all of us,” Stewart says. “It doesn’t follow the stereotypical formula. It’s pretty. It’s heavy. It’s emotional and deep.”

Another reason for the band’s fresh outlook is the strong support and enthusiasm they feel from new label partners The Bicycle Music Company/Concord Music Group. The brothers-in-arms feel was galvanized with their new team. “In one of our first meetings with the label, we played everybody five or six completed songs,” Morgan remembers. “This marked the first time anybody outside of the band and Brendan listened to it. Afterwards, everybody was really excited and happy. Seeing the level of enthusiasm was great. That felt like the moment everything came together. It was a rebirth, in a sense.”

Seether has worked tirelessly to reach this point. The hard rocking outfit originally from Pretoria, South Africa has now released eight albums in all, two of which have gone Platinum and two more that are certified Gold along with a live concert DVD that has sold over 500,000 units – for total worldwide sales in excess of 4.5 million. The consistent hit makers have quietly amassed eleven #1 singles and seventeen Top 5 multi-format hits resulting in singles sales that top seven million – a level of success few artists working today can match. Seether has averaged 120 performances a year, crisscrossing the globe, emerging into headlining mainstays and featured performers on many of the world’s biggest rock festivals.

Isolate and Medicate will undoubtedly resonate deeply with the group’s fiercely loyal fans. “I hope everybody can feel this,” concludes Humphrey. “It’s a special album for us, and we put everything we had into it.”

Morgan completes the sentiment, “I want them to walk away having enjoyed the music. I want them to get the same emotional sense and happiness we feel listening to it. It’s so important and tied to memories we’ve all had. When somebody listens, it’ll hopefully make them feel good. They will know they’re not alone. That’s the reason we do it.”

Fear can sometimes be the best fuel. It pushes us into the unknown, makes us aware, and reminds us we’re alive. Embracing that mindset, Papa Roach transformed the word itself into a mantra for the title of their eighth full-length album, F.E.A.R. [Eleven Seven Music]. The Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum hard rock juggernaut builds its most infectious, invigorating, and incendiary body of work to date. They preserve the robust riffs and swaggering rhythms that marked their initial call-to-arms, while seamlessly infusing cinematic electronic flourishes, sweeping hooks, and magnetic melodies. As a result, the band—Jacoby Shaddix [vocals], Jerry Horton [guitars], Tobin Esperance [bass], and Tony Palermo [drums]—rise like never before…

After supporting 2012’s The Connection for nearly two years, the quartet collectively decided on a change of scenery for album number eight. Rather than record at their hometown studio in Sacramento, they hit the road for Las Vegas in early 2014. Holing up in The Hideout, they worked with father-and-son super-producers Kevin and Kane Churko [Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment]. For the first time since The Paramour Sessions in 2006, the boys lived under the same roof, and they also began recording with a clean slate.

“Usually when we begin working, we’ll have a bunch of demos, and I’ll have a bag of lyrics ready to go,” Jacoby says. “We didn’t have those things this time. When we were touring The Connection, I was really focused on keeping my life together. Every time I would go on the road, I’d start clean and come home a mess. I let the road tear me apart. This time, I focused on keeping my relationships strong, my sober self healthy, and my spiritual life healthy. I didn’t have time to write, to be honest.”

“We walked into the studio with nothing,” adds Jerry. “It was frightening since it was so different, but it was also liberating. Once the ball started rolling, it was a snowball effect.”

“We wanted to do things a little bit differently,” explains Tobin. “During the last record, the four of us had reconnected and gotten closer. We were in such a good place, so we all helped each other out on this one. There was no pressure. There were no expectations. We chose to work with somebody we’d never worked with before, go to a place we’d never lived previously, not worry, write songs from scratch, and have fun. We didn’t overthink it. It was simple, and it fucking worked.”

The Churkos continued to push the band out of its comfort zone, encouraging them to tread new territory, while maintaining their distinct identity. Five songs came from each respective producer. “Kevin and Kane were very involved,” recalls Jerry. “They’ve got their tested methods and stamp. At the same time, they captured who we are. When it’s heavy, it’s really heavy. When it’s dynamic, it’s very diverse. They brought something fresh to the table.”

“They have such a vast knowledge of the songwriting process,” states Tony. “As a result, there is so much depth to the songs as well as the production. They’re both really in tune with what kinds of musical movements and landscapes needed to accomplish a particular idea.”

That energy courses through the album’s ten tracks. The first single and title cut explodes into an arena-ready refrain that’s as anthemic as it is atomic. Muscular guitars give way to an industrial stomp before sparking an uplifting and undeniable chant. “Face Everything And Rise” ignites this ride.

As far as the title goes, the writing was on the wall—literally. “Jacoby wrote F.E.A.R. on the wall of the studio in spray paint,” laughs Tobin. “When we started the record, he was like, ‘I want construction paper hung up on the walls everywhere so I can write down all of these thoughts.’ That was the only thing he ended up writing on the wall. It stuck.”

“Fear is something I face every day,” the singer admits. “It’s about taking a negative and turning it into a positive. When you see the word, it looks like Fear. If you look deeper, it’s Face Everything And Rise.” “It felt like such a great concept to write an album around,” says Jerry. “It’s about facing your fears and knowing that no matter what happens, you’ll be alright.”

“Our lyrical content is as strong as it has ever been,” adds Tony. “With this record we want people to realize that their internal strengths can help them reach personal aspirations.”

Elsewhere on the record, Papa Roach add old school flavor to the decidedly new school “Gravity” featuring Maria Brink of In This Moment. Jacoby spits a confessional and vivid verse in between hauntingly hypnotic vocals from the metal siren. “I lay it all out there,” sighs Jacoby. “I talked to my wife about the song, and I told her I was going to talk about the darkness of our marriage in a deep sense. This was a tool of strength to show how we made it through those trials and tribulations and how we’ve both grown into stronger, better people that still know how to love each other. She loves the song.”

Meanwhile, “Broken As Me” slams with a succinct groove, which Tobin eloquently describes best as a “straight-up fucking basher”. Then, there’s “Falling Apart”. “I love the lyrics on it,” the bassist adds. “It’s about trying to find something to hold on to that can keep you strong, propel you forward, and be that light in your life. There’s a lot of evil shit that can take over, but you don’t have to fall prey to it.” Everything culminates on “Warriors”, which pairs Papa Roach with hip-hop luminary, one-half of Eminem’s Bad Meets Evil, and Slaughterhouse member Royce da 5’9”. It’s unlike anything in the group’s repertoire

Speaking of their catalog, 2015 also marks an important milestone for Papa Roach. It’s the 15^th anniversary of their triple-platinum debut, Infest, which solidified them as hard rock leaders. Since then, they’ve paved the way for countless other acts to find success at both radio and on stage.

Tobin smiles, “I’m really proud of that record. All of the songs were different as far as the styles and the vibes. The guitars were heavy and simple, but there was a dirty hip-hop vibe. There’s a raw edge that we captured. I think that street vibe is badass.”

“INFEST is straight fire one-hundred percent,” declares Jacoby. “That’s when I realized the purpose of my life playing music. Infest was the opening statement. It’s the intro of who we were to become. It was just the top of the iceberg. That record is just as brutally honest and real as anything I’ve written to this day.”

Ultimately though, F.E.A.R. signifies a new dawn for Papa Roach. Jacoby leaves off, “I hope people walk away believing they can do anything.”

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