Trap Them: The Final Frontier of Extreme Music

The band Trap Them is an eclectic mix of punk and hardcore influences with a heavy metal exterior. So far in their career, they've managed to tour with some of the biggest names in metal music, are releasing a new EP next month, and have recently switched to Prosthetic Records label. However, through all of these achievements, Trap Them's main goals are modest; they only want to continue playing live shows and making music they can be proud of.

Trap Them are so dedicated to their music and their live performance that their lead singer, Ryan McKenney appears as if he was hit by a truck. Considering how much McKenney thrashes around onstage, it's not surprising to see how cut up his face is. Despite his appearance, McKenney is soft spoken and very polite, but his choice of words is very specific.

"The main goal with our music is just to melt punk and metal together," McKenney says. "I love the idea of reaching a broader audience, a lot of people like to come see the dudes on stage raging and playing music."

The genre Trap Them are influenced by is certainly underrepresented in the underground metal scene. However, McKenney believes that they represent their influences well, and hope to open people's ears to a different sound than what the audience may be used to. "Trap Them really has two speeds; it's either high octane, loud and fast, or it's like a dirge, hard and driving," McKenney explained. Trap Them also don't fit into the stereotypical category of a metal band. McKenney's vocals are a combination of yells and singing, there are no typical metal grows or shrieks in a Trap Them song.

Although the band has only been actively touring since about 2006, they have managed to share the stage with metal legends Napalm Death and are currently on tour with The Black Dahlia Murder and Skeletonwitch. McKenney is very modest, but knows that touring with such big name bands is nothing to be taken for granted. "I grew up not going to larger shows, so being able to play larger venues where more than ten people show up is really new and great to me." McKenney said about the bigger tour he's currently on. "It's great to be here and know that all our hard work has paid off, that we're acknowledge by bands we respect," McKenney continued.

In addition to their busy touring schedule, Trap Them have recently moved to Prosthetic Records, one of the bigger labels featuring extreme music. McKenney assured the switch to Prosthetic from their old label was for the best. "They (Prosthetic) are really helpful, they also don't over-saturate themselves with too much work, they're very hands on," McKenney explained. Although Trap Them just released their album last year, their next full length album will be on Prosthetic Records. Compared to the band's last label, which focused more on punk and metal subgenres, Prosthetic Records has a predominant metal influence. However, Trap Them intend to keep their unique sound, "The only change that may take place is that of any band that likes to pinpoint where they want to go and progress with the band," McKenney said.

On top of everything else, the band has still managed to put together a new release. Their new EP will be available sometime in late December or early January. McKenney reflected on his lyric writing process, saying he was heavily influenced by readings, including crime and horror books. However, for Trap Them the written lyrics have a tendency to change during a live performance. "I say similar lyrics, I just like to say what works, I think it's a different approach and it keeps everything really interesting," McKenney commented on his lyrical improvisation.

Despite all that can be said about Trap Them, the most important thing to McKenney is that people come and see them perform live. "It's great to just see a band get angry and play" McKenney stated. If nothing else, Trap Them put on a very interesting show. Somehow, McKenney manages to invade the space of everyone in the audience without even leaving the stage. Trap Them seem to have found a combination for success; hard work, fast music, and improvisation.