Trap Them is an American metalcore band. With a mix of metallic hardcore, crust punk, Swedish death metal, and grindcore, they have become a major fixture in both New England hardcore and hardcore in general, and as the codifiers of the "Entombedcore" sound, they found themselves in the rare position of being an act that was ahead of their time that later became recognized for their contributions while they were still active.
Formed in 2001 by Ryan McKenney (vocals) and Brian Izzi (guitars) after the two met while working at the Newbury Comics location in Salem, New Hampshire, it was initially not a serious venture, as Izzi had also wound up joining Backstabbers Incorporated (which McKenney was the vocalist of at the time). After a self-released EP in 2002 and a few assorted shows that took place over the next few years, both men left Backstabbers Inc. to focus on Trap Them full time, and in 2006, they inked a deal with Providence-based indie label Trash Art! for a limited-run vinyl EP and a full-length. Cunt Heir to the Throne and Sleepwell Deconstructor both dropped in 2007, and by the end of the year, they had been signed to Jacob Bannon's Deathwish, Inc. label and quickly released the Seance Prime EP. It was around this time that both Nat Coghlan (bass) and Steve DeFusco (drums) both left after being the first full-time members to appear on anything aside from McKenney and Izzi, but they wasted no time in getting Steve Lacour and Mike Justian to replace them, and 2008 brought a split with Extreme Noise Terror, the Seizures in Barren Praise full-length, and several tours. Various tours followed in 2009, but, in an event that surprised absolutely no one based on the amount of bands that he was going through, Justian left and Chris Maggio (Coliseum) joined. Much more noteworthy, however, was the fact that they had signed with Prosthetic Records in this time, and 2010 brought the Filth Rations EP, which was initially limited to just fifty copies before Southern Lord reissued it on vinyl, as well as a reissue of Seance Prime with a bonus track. 2011 brought Darker Handcraft, their first full-length on Prosthetic and third overall, which was hailed as a modern classic and led to a great deal of touring. During all of this, Lacour and Maggio left, and Galen Baudhuin (Infera Bruo) and Brad Fickeisen took their spot. The touring continued, as did the writing and recording, and by 2014, Blissfucker had dropped. Things stayed steady since then (including the lineup), and after the usual battery of touring and scattered fests and local shows, Crown Feral was released in September of 2016. Alas, it would also prove to be their swansong, as the band announced in August of 2017 that after a trio of Northeastern shows in November, they were breaking up and ending a fifteen-year run.
Discography:
- Trap Them & Kill Them (2002) (EP)
- Cunt Heir to the Throne (2007) (EP)
- Sleepwell Deconstructor (2007)
- Seance Prime (2007) (EP)
- Extreme Noise Terror / Trap Them (2008) (split)
- Seizures in Barren Praise (2008)
- Filth Rations (2010) (EP)
- Seance Prime: The Complete Recordings (2010) (EP, reissue)
- Darker Handcraft (2011)
- Salted Crypts (2014) (single)
- Blissfucker (2014)
- Feedin' the Charlatans / I Hate the Kids (2014) (Decibel flexidisc)
- Crown Feral (2016)
This band contains examples of the following tropes:
- Audience Participation Song: "The Facts". "I AM THAT GODDAMN SONOFABITCH! IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT!"
- Cover Version: They have covered "Feedin' the Charlatan" and "I Hate the Kids" (Hot Snakes).
- Determinator: Ryan McKenney smashed both of his feet while on stage in October of 2016. Instead of calling off any of the future shows, he just opted to perform while sitting.
- Epic Rocking: "Mission Convincers" (7:22), "Savage Climbers" (7:28), and "Let Fall Each and Every Sedition Symptom" (6:25).
- Hollywood New England: Formed in New Hampshire (and, aside from GG Allin, is easily their most famous punk export); while McKenney currently lives in Seattle, they are still largely based out of the Boston area, where Izzi, Baudhuin, and Fickeisen all currently live.
- Metalcore: If not the Ur-Example of Entombedcore (Backstabbers Incorporated and The Hope Conspiracy were both playing a similar style of grimy, crusty hardcore/metalcore before Trap Them even existed and Cursed also got their start around the same time), they were most certainly a Trope Codifier and are one of the most famous bands in the movement as a whole. Their style came about due to their own individual preferences; when they met, Ryan was into hardcore and crust acts like Cro-Mags, Tragedy, and His Hero Is Gone, while Brian was into death metal acts like Entombed, Dismember, and Bolt Thrower, and as the two got talking and started comparing musical tastes, they began to listen to and enjoy the acts that they were introducing one another to.
- Metal Scream: Ryan McKenney is a Type 1, sporting a hoarse hardcore shout that is deeper than is customary for that genre.
- Miniscule Rocking: A sizable portion of their songs, though "Instant Circulation" takes the cake at 0:44.
- Revolving Door Band: The lineup was essentially McKenney, Izzi, and anyone who stuck around for quite a while; Baudhuin and Fickeisen are the first additional members to last more than one full-length.
- Special Guest: Kurt Ballou has contributed multiple guitar tracks over the years, while Kevin Baker (The Hope Conspiracy, All Pigs Must Die) did guest vocals on "Evictionaries".
- Start My Own: Started out as an offshoot of Backstabbers Incorporated (and, for Izzi, December Wolves as well) before it became too big to keep as a side project.
- Supergroup: Technically; all the current members are or were in bands that are at least somewhat known (Backstabbers Inc. for McKenney and Izzi plus December Wolves for Izzi, Infera Bruo for Baudhuin, The Red Chord for Fickeisen) and several of the former members were also in bands that were names, but they have never been advertised as such. All Pigs Must Die (which Izzi is also currently in) is a better example, as it has members from The Hope Conspiracy (Kevin Baker), The Red Chord (Adam Wentworth), Give Up the Ghost (Matt Woods), and Converge (Ben Koller).
- Trope Codifier: If they didn't create Entombedcore along with Cursed, they definitely solidified most of the tropes that later bands would expand upon.
- Word Salad Lyrics: Their material up to Darker Handcraft formed some sort of conceptual story, but McKenney's lyrics have always been rather cryptic and difficult to decipher the meaning of even when he has made them available.
