Review Summary: A limping trumpeter, heralding nu metal's exhumation...
2010 will be the year nu metal breaks. Again. Or, at least that's the way old burnouts KoRn and Limp Bizkit seem to think, as they drop their heralded “return to roots” albums for the world to enjoy. People of 2010, let's party like it's 2000 all over again! Retro revivals keep going in closer and closer circles, opting to dig up styles put to rest sooner and sooner. Of course Victory Records, keeper of scenester garbage such as Emmure and Aiden (sometimes I wonder if they sign the worst bands possible on purpose just to screw with the rest of the world), caught a whiff of another potential fad and opted to place its own horse in the race. Unfortunately, the horse walks with a heavily impairing limp, is unappealing to the masses... but it probably was cheap to score, and due to its background it'll fit in the pack somewhat, if you close your left eye and tilt your head a bit. That horse is Taproot.
Taproot never really fit in with the primary nu metal pack in the first place, though. The abrasive, bizarre sounds of their 2000 major debut had more in common with a freak force of nature hopped up on LSD than chart favorites and instant gratification success. Even the lead single had a somewhat peculiar triplet twist to the opening drum loop and a warm, pulsating interlude that ended in an abrupt, nasal yell. The band diligently soldiered on, never even making it to a gold record, slowly shedding the heaviness in favor of a more intricate, melodic edge – whilst the sound became easier to take in, the quirky chords and specific melodies offered replay value to those who saw it fit to notice them, staying more on the side and seeming to be comfortable there.
Fast forward to 2010, and the band sees a chance to finally crack the mainstream, as an unlikely wave of nu metal zombies rise from their graves. The guys abandon whatever direction they were heading in and quickly throw together a blend of the more accessible type of nu metal sprinkled with innocent, toe-tapping melodies that will go down easy wherever the fad of the day may end up landing. Taproot sacrifice the majority of their individuality for the sake of finally getting properly recognized and not getting underexposed due to their oddness (it's not that there was anything wrong with “Again and Again”, but it was just weird enough to not land Taproot a spot in the division of nu metal greats). The main problem is that the majority of the new material lacks quality, and feels a bit forced and unmemorable, as if the band was trying to become something it is not...
The prime example – the single. “Fractured” balances perfectly on the line between nu metal and post-nu metal mainstream rock, awaiting either side of the crowd to lap it up happily. Its main problem is that while trying to please everybody, it ends up becoming painfully bland, forgettable and inoffensive, and will most likely go down unnoticed, drowned in a swarm of other gray nobodies the world will forget about in a year, two tops. And the record has more! It's somewhat painful to watch how meticulously Taproot prepared their “invasion”, penning potential singles that reflect the alternate directions the style of the day could end up being... that all ultimately fail. “Release Me” is too sluggish with its melodies and sports too much weirdness to successfully conquer the mainstream (come on, Indian chant - whilst not bizarre, isn't it too unusual for a wannabe mainstream hit?), “Stolage” is an undercooked nu metal/punk hybrid that has a bit of potential, but takes a triumphant faceplant into concrete as overproduction clashes with lack of quality, and “Words Don't Mean A Thing” sounds like it got lifted from Hoobastank, proudly showcasing where Taproot draw their inspiration from nowadays. To make it more painful, the bridge shows the band get their old melodic sensibilities perfectly right, and then surrender it for the cheddar chorus.
That's not to say Taproot doesn't get it perfectly right for the duration of an entire song. Or two, even – “Now Rise” and “Game Over” show the band hitting the jackpot, throwing a bone to their old fans to chew on. That is Taproot in shape, the sheer, unadulterated power interwoven with subdued, yet searing melodies. To make the situation further ironic, the band essentially shot themselves in the foot by putting these nuggets on the album, at least as the first two tracks – if they manage to lure any new fans with “Fractured” and whatever they follow it up with, and said fans get greeted the roar and jerkiness of the opener, only to be followed by the even more vivid contrasts of the next track... 2000 comes to mind again, specifically “Smile” and “Emotional Times”. Mistake or intentional?
These divagations have little to no point anyway – Taproot plans to conquer the mainstream, but will not. Their singles, both released and potential, whilst attempting to be easily lapped up by the public end up forgetting to deliver anything to sufficiently differentiate them from the pack in a non-weird way, thusly dooming the band's attempts. If they do lure any new fans with their singles, said fans will get greeted by a face ripping one-two punch that may turn out to be too much to handle, regardless of how awesome it may actually be. And, what will probably matter the most – Taproot never made that much of a name for itself in the first place, staying on the sidelines, doing their own thing. Now that the big dogs are dropping their records, the attention will smoothly move away from this teeny band, and they will be forced to return to the sidelines. Where they belong, where they can be themselves, and not try to satisfy everybody and end up providing a record that won't doing what they think they want it to do.
