identity analysis of papa roach

1. Dominating colours
are black and white;
classical colour
combination as well
as a fitting colour
choice for costumes in
rock or metal genre.
The name of the band takes
up a lot of space on the
cover, signifying
importance, as well as
making their logo name
easy to spot.
Album title is significantly
smaller. It is done in a
similar font, which connotes
the gothic dark look
Band members are in
the middle of a
performance. Each of
them look energetic
and powerful; both
aspects are widely
associated with rock
music

2. Orange is a great choice to highlight the band
name and “metamorphosis tour 2009”. This
colour was chosen appropriately, possibly
because it represents enthusiasm, happiness,
creativity, determination and success, which is
often the case in rock music, despite common
misconceptions of rock music being negative.
It is also a very hot
colour, so it further
connotes the sexual
side of rock music.
In heraldry, orange is
symbolic of strength
and endurance.
The main image is clearly staged,
however they still appear to ‘rock out’.
The angle used is a subtle low angle
shot, which creates a heroic effect. It
is a full shot of the band, allowing the
viewers to see them fully, which shifts
attention to their costume and its
close similarity to the one on the CD
cover. As a deeper meaning, a full shot
could hint at the (sometimes brutal)
honesty of rock music, as the artists
are shown literally as a whole; we
learn their views and mentality
through the meaningful music.
The colours are still simplistic,
which is very similar to the CD
cover of the album which the
tour is for, thus at the first
glance it is easy to spot it and
know what the tour is for
without reading it.
Main information is presented on the
bottom of the page. All capital letters
suggest its importance.

3. Blur gives an effect of
powerful rock music
interfering with the visual
Dark costumes
The setting is dark with an
exception of bright lights
Close up shots focus on
extreme facial expressions:
rock is extremely energetic
A handheld camera moves and
trembles: portrays the energy of rock
music. Fans portray it by head-banging.
“… you’re a no.1 hit..”
Rock music is
perceived to be rude
due to the
confidence. Many
rock artists embrace
the stereotype.
Make up on men is different from the norm;
so is rock music.

4. 1. Costume portrays the same identity
throughout all three platforms. Black
jeans and leather jackets look tough
and adhere to the rock/metal music
genres. Despite the portrayal of not
trying too hard, it is evident Papa
Roach put thought into their
costume, as they also look classy,
especially in the promotional poster,
which portrays them more grown up.
2. Energy is persistent through
the promotional poster, the
video and the album cover, as
the band is shown energetic in
all of the mentioned platforms.
This creates a typical rock
identity, especially since energy
is vital in the rock genre.
Their care is also portrayed through the title of the album, Metamorphosis, which is
the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or
more distinct stages, which is portrayed in the video through more thoughtful lyrics
of the songs in this album, especially in the comparison to their previous work,
which features songs such as “Reckless”, which was the theme of the song which
was mainly created for a good time.
3. Through the different media,
the colour scene also stays the
same; black and white dominate
due to the perfect colour
combination. Other colours are
present, however they do not
dominate the presentation of
the artist, as the general theme
cannot be too optimistic due to
the possible failure of adhering
to the rock genre.

5. In the meaning of colours,
brown is the colour of
material security and the
accumulation of material
possessions, that is why
the ‘Hollywood Whore was
against such background.
She has the materialistic
security, but that may be
it.
From a negative
perspective, the colour
brown can also give
the impression of
cheapness and
stinginess in certain
circumstances, which is
often the case with the
Hollywood stars if they
break and let the fame
get to them.
Brown can be considered dull, boring and
unexciting by many. In fact it is one of the
least preferred colours in the western world.
That can be the reason why Papa Roach
feature a dull girl as a ‘Hollywood Whore’,
because many in fact can be dull, if they are
picked as actresses purely for their looks.

6. The band name came from lead
singer, Jacoby Shaddix, whose
step-grandfather's name is
William Roatch, who was
nicknamed Papa Roach by everyone
in his family, for being more than a 100 years of age. They decided to go
along with the name "Papa Roach" by dropping the "T" and using the
cockroach as a symbol of longevity. Shaddix and his band used an analogy
and that is: "when a nuclear bomb is dropped and it explodes; the whole
place is annihilated and the only thing that's left are cockroaches.“ This in the
end is evidence that rock artists tend to create such music for as long as they
can, which says a lot about rock music as a whole.
The band name is also perfect for the rock genre, as it
signifies that rock music will never die out even after
catastrophes such as, as mentioned, nuclear disasters, as
rock music tends to increase one’s consciousness and
self-awareness, which leads to a happier life through
knowing that you are the one responsible for your own
happiness and success. One theory exists that religion is
against rock music because of this; a person realizing
they are strong and need to take control of their own
lives instead of believing it is “God’s will”.
Furthermore, “Papa” is a word widely known to mean
“father”, which usually connotes care, safety and
protection, which is what the rock music tends to offer
to the soul.
Power is clearly present in the video “Hollywood Whore” through handheld camera movements
which give an impression of rock music being so powerful it shakes the camera or shifts it. The
video also portrays rock music’s supremacy as blurred out shots all throughout the video
creates the effect of powerful music interfering with the visual by knocking the camera out of
focus.
Moreover, such power in some ways can act as a “fatherly figure” by
teaching the listener he/she has power over themselves.