Trap Them is not here to fuck around. Since their inception in 2007, under the original moniker Trap Them Kill Them, they have released a full length album, and two 7” EP’s on the Trash Art! label before being signed to the premier heavy music label Deathwish Inc. Once settled, Trap Them released a split 7” with England’s Extreme Noise Terror before unleashing their second full length effort, ‘Seizures In Barren Praise’ and amongst all of this have somehow managed to keep up one hell of a touring schedule.
Produced by the legendary Kurt Ballou of Converge fame (who also manned the desk on their three previous releases), Seizures is just another example as to why this four piece is so hard to define. It melds elements of hardcore, death metal, d-beat and grind perfectly to create an aural assault.
Guitarist Brian Izzi’s tone throughout the album is perfect. It allows you to hear all of his technical proficiency without diluting the album’s overall dirty feel. Combine this with beautifully muddy bass and mind blowing drumming and it is easy to see why Trap Them are considered by many as a band that can save the somewhat flailing heavy music scene.
Lyrically, previous Trap them releases have told the stories of people who have lived in the fictional ghost town of “Barren Praise” before deciding to leave. This time around vocalist Ryan McKenney tells that tales of those left behind. As for deciphering each song word for word you will be hard pushed as the album does not come with a lyrics sheet, McKenney has previously said that this deliberate act allows listeners to decide what he is talking about.
As far as the individual tracks go these Seizures sees Trap them expand and explore a little more than their previous releases. Standouts for me have to be ‘Day Twenty Eight: Targets’, ‘Day Twenty Five: Guignol Serene’ and the closing masterpiece ‘Day Thirty One: Mission Convincers’.
Despite their short time together Trap Them could be considered season veterans with the quality of their releases and now with a solid line up in place it is only a matter of time before they return with another great release
Check out deathwishinc.com to find out more about Trap Them
M Street
