Like it or not, nü-metal has made it clear that it’s here to stay. Trapt, a four-piece based out of California, are an unmistakable representation of this settled genre. The sound of their new album, No Apologies, does little drifting from their previous releases. I can always appreciate a little adventure, even if I preferred the sound of a band’s last album. Some people love consistency and if that fits your criteria, I recommend this for your collection.
“Sound Off” kicks off the new LP, and not only is it something I’ve heard from the band previously, I think its commerciality has been delivered from other groups. The album has no differentiation between tracks for the most part. Honing in on the percussion, it almost feels like listening to one long song.
The vocal rhythm created by the lead singer, Chris Taylor Brown, is more creative than that of the drummer. “Drama Queen” is the strongest vocal track on the album. The smooth syncopation that is created with his voice is interesting and the quirky movement of his voice in “Stranger” is solid, as well.
I think what bothers me the most about the album is that Trapt have some amazing electric guitar solos on tracks like “No Apologies” and “The Wind,” but they last for only for a few seconds—if we’re lucky. It’s a tease. As pleasing as Brown’s voice is to the ear, taking a break from him and extending these solos would greatly improve the album’s variety.
Aside from “The Wind,” where Brown seems to be a tad out of his range at points, his voice is the strongest aspect of the album. On the other hand, the track contains the strongest instrumentals on the record, with energetic strings and beats. So it seems where they are strong in one area, they lack in another.
In A Word: Superfluous
