Trap Them - Seizures In Barren Praise

Trap Them
Seizures In Barren Praise
Deathwish Inc.

I'd like to issue a brief update about the goings-on at SRLCO Laboratories (for those not hip to the lingo, SRLCO is the SketchTown/Roughdale Laboratory Cooperative a.k.a. the studio space for the Deep River Massive). Anyway, before I bog this thing down with inside jokes meant for six people, here's what's on deck for the next two weeks: a review of the new Protest The Hero album for Buddyhead, a review of the new Toxic Holocaust for No Control, a review of the Watain show at Red7 (show's tonight BTW), the debut of Late Night Sneaky Uncle by Goo Fish, a preview of Fun Fun Fun Fest for a yet-to-be-determined website, and tons more. The No Funeral train is rolling. Tell your friends.

With that said, today's post was a flimsy pretext to post a fresh copy of Trap Them's already-legendary second LP Seizures In Barren Praise. Here's what I had to say about the record in my Best of 2008 column:

Trap Them has never heard of the sophomore slump and Seizures in Barren Praise has reached a new level of ferocity with their second LP. It’s the heaviness of Swedish death metal with the bleak prospects of American crust. Grim shit, indeed. Maybe it is Entombed for the new-school, but who cares? Prepare to be killed.

This album still sounds fresh and, for my money, Trap Them are America's best metal/grind/death/ignorant band. Click below and judge for yourself.







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The Wasteland (Vol. 1)

Tuesday. Whatever. There's no unifying theme (not even a redux (for those that get the joke)) today; just some nonsense I've observed...

If you ever listen to Dudley & Bob (sometimes it can't be avoided), you know that these are two washed-up, former comedians who trot out the same tired routine day after day. It's typical "zoo crew" garbage but they accidentally talked about something half-way interesting today (the Broken Watch Theory, hard at work). They were talking about the creepiest music video in the history of mankind: "Into The Night" by Benny Mardones. It's a lovely, tasteful, yacht-rock-style ballad about pedophilia. No big deal. The Dudley & Bob host who is the broken-down alcoholic, I think that's Dudley, actually admitted to being a fan of this song. Here comes the horror in 3... 2... 1...


Speaking of horror, here's a reunion no one asked for: Veruca Salt are back! To be fair, they did have a few decent songs. Here's one of them...

Ha! Remember when bands used to get budgets for stuff? Yeah, that video was terrible, but what a chorus...


Travis is down with this whole Nirvana nostalgia thing.


The Austin police are going to shoot your dog. Don't believe me? Click on this link to read 82 articles by the American-Statesman about the APD greasing the family pet.

...But it's not all bad news. The Pirates are going to the playoffs for the first time since Barry Bonds was on the team, so that's something, right? Oh, there is one more thing: Trap Them still kicks ass.





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Back from the Dead

I've been on the U.S.S. Enterprise, playing space-chess with Chewbacca. He started getting lame so I beamed back down.

Big news is coming soon (really! check back in about two weeks for rad news!). In the meantime, here's a record that will blow the walls off of the joint. Right here.

Trap Them – Live on WNYU

Trap Them
live on WNYU



Here’s a live set from Trap Them, recorded a few weeks after the November release of Seizures in Barren Praise. Having never seen them live, I really enjoyed this set. I hope that you do as well. Total brutality.




Trap Them – Live on WNYU




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Trap Them - Sleepwell Deconstructor

Trap Them
Sleepwell Deconstructor
Trash Art



This record is brutal and destructive, but it's more than just the sum of its parts. Trap Them is taking the best elements of modern heavy music and is steering them in a new direction. On Sleepwell Deconstructor, you'll find:

The epic feel of Converge, from "The Saddest Day" on
Entombed's guitar tone
Crazed, D-beat rhythms
Maniac vocals
a virtuoso guitarist
Mike freaking Justain
The brutality of death metal and black metal's coldness, filtered through a hardcore lens.

What are you waiting for?

Trap Them - Sleepwell Deconstructor



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Top 10 of 2008

No Funeral
Top Ten of 2008
“The Hate in 0-8”

Here it is: the stuff that you should have bought/downloaded/shoplifted over the course of the past 12 months. Bravo to those who did. Dissenting opinion? Leave a comment. Friendly discussion is always encouraged. Enjoy the (mostly) MediaFire links. Happy New Year!


Number 10:

Burnt Cross
Carcass of Humanity
Punks before Profits



Burnt Cross emerged, this year, as the band that set the standard for modern peace punk: subdued, solemn, and poetic. Check out the original review here.

Burnt Cross – Carcass of Humanity


Number 9:

Metallica
Death Magnetic
Warner Bros.



No, it doesn’t sound like the old stuff. Yes, it is lame that they mixed it with the “ear buds” in mind. Yes, this record is brutal. No, Death Magnetic does not suck.

Metallica (apparently has some issue with downloading) – Death Magnetic


Number 8:

Overcast
Reborn to Kill Again
Metal Blade



I like the way that Bill Bates, of KPFT’s Ejacula show, described this album: After years of selling out, the ding-dongs from the who-know-who bands finally got their shit together and reformed their cool band.

I agree. What you have here is a weird compilation of Overcast material. Several re-recorded older songs, including much of Fight Ambition to Kill, and a few new numbers. Most children of the 90s jizzed over this one.

Overcast - Fight Ambition to Kill


Number 7:

Arson Anthem
Debut EP
Housecore



After his much-maligned detours during and after Hurricane Katrina, Mike Williams (EyeHateGod) crashed with one Phillip “Anton Crowley” Anselmo, where they got drunk and listened to old punk vinyl. Eventually, Hank III and Collin Yeo got in on the act and the rest is Arson Anthem. Their debut EP, recorded in Houston and released on Anselmo’s Housecore label, is 80s style hardcore that lands somewhere between Poison Idea and Negative Approach. It’s desperate and pissed.

Arson Anthem - Debut EP


Number 6:

No Talk
Invade Iran
AG82



KGBeasley (ex-Insect Warfare) dumps the grind, links up with Josh Psycho Wolf and Tom of Montrose in order to produce some of the sleaziest, drunken leather-punk Houston has ever seen. Must be seen and heard to be believed. Counter-culture Nazi!

No Talk – Invade Iran


Number 5:

Book of Black Earth
Horoskopus
Prosthetic



Blackened death metal played by deranged Seattle maniacs. Lyrically, Horoskopus discusses the astrological origins of Christianity. Musically, it’s keyboard-drenched heaviness by ex-members of Teen Cthulhu and Skarp. They’re on tour this spring with Cattle Decapitation.

Book of Black Earth – Horoskopus


Number 4:

Trapped Under Ice
Stay Cold
Reaper Hardcore



Everything you need to know about Trapped Under Ice can be found in my interview with them. Seriously, go see this band 10Jan09 in San Antonio, when they play with Full Blown Chaos.

Trapped Under Ice – Stay Cold


Number 3:

Gojira
The Way of All Flesh
Prosthetic



The new Gojira is an example of the bar being raised for all metal bands, like Lamb of God’s New American Gospel and Fear Factory’s Soul of the New Machine did years before. This album is becoming a classic before our eyes. Plus, it is some kind of heavy (very heavy, the best kind).

Gojira – The Way of New Flesh


Number 2:

Trap Them
Seizures in Barren Praise
Deathwish Inc.



Trap Them has never heard of the sophomore slump and Seizures in Barren Praise has reached a new level of ferocity with their second LP. It’s the heaviness of Swedish death metal with the bleak prospects of American crust. Grim shit, indeed. Maybe it is Entombed for the new-school, but who cares? Prepare to be killed.

Trap Them – Seizures in Barren Praise


Number 1:

Cursed
III: Architects of Troubled Sleep
Goodfellow



The long-awaited third LP from this decade’s greatest hardcore band turned out to be the band’s unfortunate swansong. Cursed chose to disband after an incident in Europe. The will leave as one of the very few bands that, simply, did not release any crap. III: Architects of Troubled Sleep is possibly their best album (think II) and features my single favorite song by the band, “Friends in the Music Business.” Cursed will be missed.

Cursed – III: Architects of Troubled Sleep