Post by Josh McLaughlin on Jun 24, 2013 8:00:42 GMT -5
Released: January 22, 2013
Producer: Matt Thorne, Chris Taylor Brown
Trapt are a band that have been on a rough journey in their musical careers. From reaching unfathomable heights to nearly breaking up due to an unstable line-up, one thing has stayed constant between their breakout mega-hits “Headstrong” and “Echo” to their latest effort; kick-ass, no-frills rock! With a new guitarist and a new drummer, will Trapt adapt to the ever-changing rock environment or fade away like many of their nu-metal peers?
The opening song and lead single “Bring It” does just that. It’s hard-hitting, aggressive and catchy. The band is tight as nails and you can’t help but rock out to this one. It’s catchy and beyond energetic. Front man Chris Taylor Brown and guitarist Robb Torres shine in this one. An excellent opening track.
“Love Hate Relationship” is up next. It’s a mid-tempoed rocker, the second single from the album, and it has just enough Trapt charm to stop it from being generic. The chorus is catchy and infectious; a typical trait of the band, but the song doesn’t really jump to something absolutely great like some of their biggest hits. It is still a very good, solid track.
“Experience” is another solid track. Trapt have always done a good job at making straight-forward hard rock without being too generic, mostly in part to Brown’s very distinctive voice and the band’s metal influences. The band is as tight as ever. “Living in the Eye of the Storm”, the third and final single from the album is a highlight to me. The guitar is moody, the lyrics are really good and the hooks are incredibly catchy. It’s a great song, one of their best ones, in my opinion.
“Livewire (Light Me Up)” is another great track. The chorus is groovy, heavy and rocking. The bridge is really cool and I found myself humming along before I even knew any words. It’s a great song. “Strength In Numbers” is a groovy song with a very unique and rocking guitar line. The verse is moody and builds up to a kickass chorus. The band shines in this song. “Get Out of Your Own Way” is next. It’s another heavy song with an interesting guitar line. I really love that this band doesn’t rest on their laurels with instruments, opting to do crazy, energetic guitar riffs than the four power chords we see far too much in mainstream rock. The song is decent.
“Going Under” is immediately catchy from the moment the intro kicks into an energetic verse. The chorus is catchy as always. It’s a very good track. I’m not sure why, but the instruments in the next track “Too Close” remind me of the TV series Dexter. It’s a cool, interesting song. Once again, instruments shine in this one, due to them breaking away from standard, stereotypical rock and opting to bring something more unique to the table.
“When It Rains” is another solid track. It’s catchy, it’s got energy, it’s got charm and I quite enjoy it, but at the same time, like many of the songs from the album, it doesn’t really stand out as an amazing song that will be remembered by anybody other than hardcore Trapt fans in a year’s time. “You’re No Angel”, the final track on the album, is a really cool song, one of the better ones on the album.
Trapt are a band that I have always liked. The problem with them are that, at this stage, all their fans are ones that have always liked the band, likely since hearing “Headstrong” nearly a decade ago. Trapt do a good job of keeping their fan base happy, but they are never really ambitious or exciting enough to bring in new fans. That isn’t an attack at the band, because this is a good album by any means, but it just fails to bring something entirely new to the table to make it stand out amongst the sea of rock on today’s radio. This is a band that is constantly bringing out solid, catchy material, but hasn’t reached any new heights in quite a long time and I don’t think this album will change that. The albums name is “Reborn”, which is exactly what the band need to do in the future if they ever want to become overly relevant once again. Even at this stage of the review, where I just listened to the entire album, I struggle to recall some of the songs. There are standout tracks (mentioned below), but unfortunately there are just as many solid-yet-forgettable ones.
Best Songs: “Bring It”, “Living in the Eye of the Storm”, “Going Under” and “You’re No Angel”
6.5/10