Review Summary: 25 minutes of material fail to hold together a 46 minute album
It’s really unfortunate. There was enough good material here for a good album, but for whatever reason, the guys decided that this material had to cover twice the distance it normally would. In other words, there’s about 25 minutes of worthy stuff here, and it’s forced to spread itself out over 46, which ruins everything.
I don’t understand why this went through anyone’s mind as a good idea. Salted Crypts is a long song yes, but it still comes out the other side a good song. That was the only track that this approach worked with. Every other song just lets you down. Older songs like Targets, Saintpeelers, and even longer ones like Mission Convincers and Destructioneer Extraordinaire, never came close to letting go of your interest.
The downfall of this album is exemplified by the song Savage Climbers, which is 7:28, and has the content of what would make a slightly interesting 10 second break in a song off the previous album, Darker Handcraft. It’s one slow riff. For over seven minutes. Nothing happens.
What really baffles me though, is how Kurt Ballou, who is arguably THE elite producer in the metal world, saw the song ideas for this album, and said to himself, “Yeah, this'll work.” I know he’s a loyal guy, and that most of his business is now repeat business. But he’s produced all five of Trap Them’s previous releases; he knows what this band is capable of. He most certainly knows it’s capable of more than this.
