Taproot - Plead the Fifth

By way of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Taproot are back with their much anticipated fifth studio album appropriately titled Plead the Fifth. The new record finds the band experimenting with various hardcore melodies, while still retaining their familiar and melodic sound that attracted scores of fans to their fanbase years ago.

The album kicks off with "Now Rise", a blasting, hardcore screamer that features the fierce vocal prowess of frontman Stephen Richards, whose melodic vocals give a distinct contrast between the hardcore breakdowns and melodic interludes. "Game Over" is a blasting, no holds barred track that doesn't stop from the get go with its fast paced guitars and Stephen's melodic vocals weaving in and out of each guitar riff with clearly demonstrated ease. My favorite song off the album is the disc's first single, "Fractured (Everything I Said Was True)", a pure, melodic track that has a few hardcore breakdowns, but not as many as their predecessors on the album did. This track is probably the best track to introduce other people to Taproot who might have heard of the band, but have not yet been familiarized with the type of music that they play.

Continuing on, we hear "Stolage" which has a decent melody and an absolutely splendid bass track, but the resulting track falls a little flat and lacks the power punch that the songs before it had. "911ost" is a midtempo, semi melodic tune that attempts to recapture the essence of the first few songs of the album, but doesn't quite come close to achieving that on this track. "Trophy Wi-Fi" is a edge of your seat, barrelling opus that manages to set the album back on course with polarizing guitar riffs and Stephen's prominent vocals leading the way.

As we begin to close out the album, we hear "Words Don't Mean A Thing", a hardcore, melodic hybrid that features an excellent chorus and a plethora of guitars and bass. "Left Behind", one of the more slow paced tunes on this album, provides for a nice contrast between the other songs on the album and gives the listener a little variety in the process as well. "Stares" closes out the disc with some fierce hardcore breakdowns and Stephen once again showcasing his tremendous vocal range on this track. Taproot gained initial success with their 2002 sophomore album, Welcome which produced the massive hit single, "Poem". While Taproot have moved further from the sound that they first displayed in the beginning of their career, they haven't moved away from it completely, and the band constantly finds unique ways to combine hardcore and slower, melodic based sounds into a user accessible vehicle that fans both old and new can identify with.

All in all, a solid album that finds Taproot sticking to their guns and continuing to show their brimming creativity with songs that succeed in their mission and others that slightly miss the mark. While Taproot might not be the same band that they sounded like when they first started out, they are at least attempting to put out quality music in the process.

                                                                                                                                  Album Score: 3/5

Track Listing:

1. Now Rise
2. Game Over
3. Fractured (Everything I Said Was True)
4. Release Me
5. Stolage
6. 911ost
7. Trophy Wi-Fi
8. Words Don't Mean A Thing
9. Left Behind
10. No View Is True
11. Stares