Seizures in Barren Praise

VINYL FORMAT. The second full-length by arty Seattle-based punk-grindcore quartet Trap Them is noisier, heavier, and more dissonant than their debut. Producer Kurt Ballou (better known as the guitarist for Converge) continues to shape their sound into a bass-heavy, live-in-your-face assault. There's less of a D-beat punk element to their sound now, and a fuller, even more distorted edge of Swedish death metal creeping in; when they slow down (which isn't often), they get pretty close to Entombed territory. This is particularly true on "Mission Convincers," the seven-minute death march that closes the album. Meanwhile, "Gutterbomb Heaven on the Grid" showcases the band's arty side, with distant melodies, static, and martial drumming underpinning the vocalist's harsh, almost Jaz Coleman-like chanting. Seizures in Barren Praise is a ferocious, impressive demonstration of all of Trap Them's many virtues, none of which is easy on the ears, exactly, but all of which are worth experiencing.

- Phil Freeman allmusic.com