Trap Them: The Final Frontier of Extreme Music
Lisa Sanchez
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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.
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.
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