Review Summary: This album saws through everything you have ever known.
Imagine a buzzsaw starting. Now imagine the grinding sound piercing the toughest of metals. The man wielding the destructive tool is none other than Ryan McKenney and while cutting through the objects he is screaming louder than the saw. The emotion is aggressive and the noise is enchantingly beautiful. Once you are done imagining the picture I just painted, you realize you actually hit play on the new Trap Them album and have been listening to the pounding aggression of first track 'Salted Crypts.' Instead of an actual buzzsaw you've been listening to Brian Izzi, Brad Fickeieson and Galen Baudhuin unleash all their might on the guitar, drums and bass respectively. The record, entitled Bliss***er, is out June 10th through Prosthetic Records.
After setting the stage with the opener, the second track 'Habitland' spirals off into a chaotic fury of hostility. The drums are charting at insane speeds while the guitars are pulverizing the mix with furious riffs. That level of intense chaos is kept up for most of the album. The band knows how to create dynamics and builds in their tracks too, which help keep the songs fresh and not repetitive. A fine example of the dynamic approach is the third track 'Gift And Gift Unsteady' which features more melodies winding through the heavy wall of distortion.
The speed at which this album races through might be the most impressive highlight. With the heavy rates per minute of each song comes impressive songwriting to keep them interesting and flowing. When the music takes a pause back from chain saw to hack saw, it never loses its intensity. 'Bad Nones' and 'Savage Climbers' are slower than the rest of their companions, but McKenney's piercing vocals are stronger than ever. His visceral screams give the tracks more of an impact and edge. His performance across this entire album is stellar. The guitars have a sludge appeal to them, really focusing on the slightly more melodic grooves that are present. Sandwiched between these two tracks is 'Forming Lining Wide The Walls' which is an absolute drum assault slicing its way through the eardrums of any potential listener.
To give Blissfucer a welcoming exit, the end of 'Let Fall Each and Every Sedition Symptom' pounds out a final blastbeat attack. Trap Them have released another grinding album that punches out listeners with speed and heaviness.
