Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed, and experimental bands like Swans. Ryan McKenney's lyrics tend to deal with issues both personal and political, while recent material has also contained a conceptual element to its lyricism. The group's musical style consists of complex and sometimes discordant guitar work and d-beat and grindcore drumming styles. Trap Them take their name from the 1977 film by Joe D'Amato called Trap Them And Kill Them, known also as Emanuelle E Gli Ultimi Cannibali and Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals. The movie features European exploitation queen Laura Gemser.
History
Trap Them began as a side-project for Ryan McKenney and Brian Izzi in 2001 while Izzi was beginning his stint as second guitarist for Backstabbers Inc. The two met while working together at Newbury Comics in Salem, NH and immediately became close friends. The band grew into a full-time consideration years later after both men left BSI to focus on other things. McKenney and Izzi later became roommates and began focusing on new material for the band. In 2006, the band reached an agreement with the Trash Art! record label to release a vinyl-only EP and a full-length album to be recorded with Kurt Ballou at the God City recording studio and released later that year. The resulting album and single, including a spoken word piece by McKenney, were released in January and April 2007. In late 2007, Trap Them signed with Converge'sJacob Bannon'smusic label, Deathwish Inc.. They toured Europe in early 2008 with The Ocean and Rotten Sound. Trap Them worked with crust punk band Extreme Noise Terror for a split EP and toured the U.S. with Napalm Death. A new full-length album, Seizures in Barren Praise, was released in November 2008. In May 2009, the band played on the year's bill for the annual Maryland Deathfestmusic festival in Baltimore, Maryland. The band went on US tours with Victims and Black Breath in May and June 2009, and Skeletonwitch and Saviours in mid-July. In 2010 the band released the EP Filth Rations, initially only as a strictly limited cassette release restricted to just fifty copies available at their appearance at the Scion Rock Festival. The EP was later released on Southern Lord Records on 12" vinyl featuring an etching on the B-side by artist Justin Bartlett, who also drew the main cover. In late 2010, it was announced that in March 2011 the band would release their third full-length Darker Handcraft through Prosthetic Records - their first for the label since signing for them in mid-2009. In April 2011, the band embarked on a European tour to promote the album as main support for the Finnish grindcore band Rotten Sound. On April 7, 2014, the band announced that they had completed work on their following album, titled "Blissfucker", which was released on June 10, 2014. It was the first album to feature their new bassist, Galen Baudhuin, and drummer Brad Fickeisen. "Crown Feral", the band's fifth and final studio album, was released on September 23rd 2016, via Prosthetic Records. The album was again recorded with producer Kurt Ballou at the God City recording studio and featured artwork from artist Mattias Frisk. The band performed their final three shows in November in New York City, Montreal and Boston before disbanding.
