TRAP THEM | «Darker Handcraft»

In this day and age everyone has a list of records that they've heard, but -- for variable reasons -- they can't hold with their hands. I'm not here to advocate illegal downloading (not the over way around either, i.e. the legal buying of digital files), but if you look at it as the distant cousin of the late 80s/early 90s tape-trading scene – GHUDDAMN, how much more romantic can you get it on with a record without sex? Which brings us to...

Trap Them's new album, «Darker Handcraft», that's what. It's safe to say that this is one of the few bands that keep me on my toes, they're one of those who really matter IMO -- take this with a little grain of salt then, it may be a tid bit biased. «Seizures in Barren Praise» was my fave record of 2008 and you can say I couldn't wait to listen to the new one. The band -- or whould I say singer Ryan McKinney? -- had the smart idea of starting a blog documenting the recording process and those that followed knew the goddamn thing was done, ready, since October. Release date: March 15, via their new home Prosthetic. A long, long wait layed ahead.


On January 5 the band finally released a song and, breaking one my golden rules of record listening, I download it from Brooklyn Vegan. All «Too Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth» drum rolls, «Wolverine Blues» riffs and Misfits on reverse chorus, «The Facts» was a catchy little nugget. Yeah, I played it – several times, nevermind the “try not to listen to single advance tracks” rule I've been advocating all along. What happens sometimes is that the song is just so good you'll play to death and you're fed up with it when the album is released. «The Facts» is one of those, it kicks you in the head and it never dies. I killed it by deleting the file from my computer. Looking back I don't thing it would ruin anything, really, because even though the song is one of the highlights on «Darker Handcraft», it shows up on the second half of the record, between the crawling sludginess of «Sordid Earnings» and the frenzy of «Saintpeelers», and is just an incredibe track among twelve others -- as good or even better.



There was already a private joke among my friends -- which included the question “when's the new Trap Them coming out?” being asked at the most random of situations. Last Thursday I got it an advance copy on my e-mail box. Sadly not the real mailbox, but anyway... It's playing on my headphones while I type this. It sounds like a more well-rounded Trap Them, with new drummer Chris Maggio (ex-Coliseum) adding a punk as fuck vibe that makes the first three songs hit you like a fist in the face. «Damage Prose», «Slumcult & Gather», «Every Walk a Quarantine» -- BAM! BAM! BAM! Brian Izzi's guitar sounds like a rusty chainsaw, like the dude's channeling that Hellid/Cederlund Sunlight Sound through only one guitar and some pedals; Stephen LaCour carries a monstrous bass tone and Ryan screams is lyrics out with a passion that makes the listener think he's about to burst a lung. Hat's off to Kurt Ballou too, the Converge axe-slinger signs another stellar production job here. There's more punk/crust/death'n'roll noise here than you probably can handle if you're not used to this kinda thing but also a clever melody increase on «Evictionaries», a moody little melancholic oddity called «Drag The Wounds Eternal» and mid-tempo crushers like «Sordid Earnings» and «Scars Align». I've played it four times only the day I got it, plenty more through the last weekend and the best thing is I know it will keep growing on me. My fave bands make me confront my inner darkness in order to appreciate them, which is not something “normal” people want to do, but without darkness there is no light … Boring cliché, I know, but if you’re willing to make an effort to weave Trap Them into your head it’s like looking into a black tinted mirror that reflects back on yourself. Sounds weird? Only darkness is real and this guys craft in darkness. They sure do.

Now just can't wait for my pre-order package to show on my real mailbox.