Trap Them - Darker Handcraft LP

TRAP THEM (Seattle, WA USA) - Darker Handcraft (2020 Prosthetic Re-issue on Black and White, Colour in Colour vinyl).  Trap Them are a furious Hardcore Punk band at heart. The songs are accelerated and here and occasionally threaten to leave the listener with bleeding ears.  2008's Seizures in Barren Praise was a demolition derby set to music and Trap Them became a force to be reckoned with in the scene.

Now, 3 years later Darker Handcraft sees the band hit its absolute musical peak. The songs are seething and razor sharp but at the same time, this is also the most diverse album the band has put together yet. The tempos are all mostly fast but the band veer from Hardcore, Thrash, Death Metal and moments of Converge inspired lunacy to craft an album that is exhilarating from start to finish.

Guitarist Brian Izzi is the real star on this album as he seamlessly creates songs that are ferocious in their energy and dissonance while also being catchy enough to make me want to jump around and break stuff. The rhythm section with new drummer Chris Maggio from Coliseum and Steve Lacour on bass is tight and locked down into grooves that are perfect counter points to the raging riffs and grooves of Izzi.  He once again turns in an utterly deranged vocal performance that just makes these songs even heavier.

This is the band's best album by a long shot and if you've been a fan of their previous work then you know that's saying a lot.  And if you've never heard them before, then Darker Handcraft is the perfect place to start. Slot somewhere between Coalesce, Integrity and Converge for the uninitiated and a few steps above Seizures for Barren Praise. Darker Handcraft is absolutely essential.  ** Originally written for http://frozenrapture.blogspot.com**  Prosthetic Records ‎– 104351