The much anticipated debut album from Mad Trapper is finally here. Mad Trapper are a Toronto based hardcore/sludge/ Grindcore or whatever you wanna call them. The band’s EP Kill Us, Start Anew garnered them much attention with opening slots for bands like Cult Leader, Whores, and Meek is Murder. Any of you who have witnessed Mad Trapper live can attest to their ferocious and cathartic show. With Dead Living that energy has been properly captured on recording. The album opens with a strangely melodic and haunting track “claws” with lulls the listener before the sonic onslaught of the album. The tracks “Dead Living” and “Takeover” bust out some trademark Mad Trapper riffs, but with tighter song writing this time around. Mad Trapper incorporates some more surprising tempo changes, and even a bit of variation with dynamics; something extremely rare for band’s of this style of music.
The album goes for the variation of style with tracks like “Ghost Meat”, “Worst Case Ontario”, and “Internalized”. These songs are in favour of the slower paced “chug” to break things up from the onslaught of grind. This supplies a much needed variety of pace before breaking back into the grindcore with “1/3” and “Caved in”. For this reviewer, the most stand out tracks are the final two with “Paths” and “Rat River” which really encapsulate everything that is Mad Trapper; plenty of heavy riffs, and spastic time changes. The album closes with a miniature “Claws” reprisal. Although this may not seem like a big deal, bookending an album is very important, and shows a careful craft when constructing the order of an album. For anyone who is a fan of Gaza, Cursed, Fuck the Facts, and other bands of a similar vein will want to check out this album. Best of all, it’s free on their bandcamp page.
