TRAP THEM, Seance Prime  (2007, Deathwish Inc.)

The skull:
We’ve looked at a ton of skulls in the past couple years, real and imagined, and rarely have we seen such humongous eye holes. They’re so big they look like the skull-world equivalent of bifocals, which then makes me think of Trailer Park Boys character Bubbles, which then renders this skull totally not fearsome anymore. And look at that boy gnawin’ on all those peppermint Chicklets. Dude’s got no worries.

The music:
This Seattle band have been hotly tipped by hipsters and real fans of extreme music alike since their first recordings began circulating in 2007. One of the most interesting things about them is that they feature Brian Izzi on guitar, who was in a band called December Wolves many moons ago. D. Wolves recorded one album of wanna-be Scandi-black metal and then two albums of feral, futuristic black/death/grind (1998’s Completely Dehumanized is an album I’d recommend for the curious and adventurous reader). It’s no wonder Izzi ended up in a band as ridiculously intense as Trap Them. While these guys lean too heavily on the crust/hardcore side of things for my personal tastes, it’s one of those things where you can only sit back and admire them for what they are. Because for the sort of vicious grind/crust they’re cranking out, it’s hard to imagine many bands doing it much better right now. Lots of respect to them for their music, because it sounds so goddamn real. It truly does sound frightening and truly does sound like it’s recorded by clincially insane serial killers and other highly volatile sociopaths. This 5-song, 16-minute EP is my first and so far only experience with Trap Them, but I can’t imagine their newer stuff sounds too much different.
— Friar Wagner