Infest

Infest is the major-label debut studio album by Papa Roach, released in April 2000 on DreamWorks Records and produced by Jay Baumgardner and Jacoby Shaddix, the album that introduced the Sacramento nu-metal act to a mainstream audience and generated 'Last Resort,' one of the most commercially successful hard rock singles of the decade. Shaddix wrote all lyrics; the album's combination of rap-rock verses, melodic choruses, and the direct address of suicide, self-harm, and adolescent despair on 'Last Resort' gave the track a raw emotional immediacy that drove massive rock radio and MTV play. 'Last Resort' spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, reached the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been certified four-times platinum as a standalone single; the album has been certified four-times platinum in the United States and reached number five on the Billboard 200. Infest's commercial success was part of the first wave of nu-metal mainstream saturation that also included Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory and Korn's Follow the Leader, and 'Last Resort' remains one of the most streamed nu-metal songs of its generation. Infest's cultural legacy extends beyond its commercial performance to include 'Last Resort's position as one of the most streamed and most-covered hard rock songs of its generation, a track whose direct engagement with suicidal ideation gave it a cultural weight that transcended the nu-metal genre and continues to resonate with new audiences encountering the song decades after its release.