[Evertrapped] is a melodic death metal band out of Montreal, Canada. According to my inbox teaser:
Under The Deep is an exploration of the deepest reaches of human madness. Not clinical madness, but simply the darkest regions of the soul and the blackest part of the human heart from a mind found to be socially functional, but is really way too far gone. And thus it seeks to explore what is underneath the deepest depth, hence no matter how deep you descend there's always another layer that can be torn away.
The thing that first turned my head was definitely the great vocal cadences they come up with. That very deliberate spacing of the words on"Arise From The Ashes," among other tracks, matched by the meter of the drumming and guitar creates something that really grabs the attention. Similarly, that shrieking intro to "Underneath The Deep" grabs you by the hair and forces your ear to speaker. I live for these moments. They make a song memorable.
But even if the vocals leave you unimpressed, there are plenty of killer hooks too. Gothenburg plus groove. Solo city. And rarely a break from the pummeling speed. This is Headbanging 101, take your seat. In addition, the drums pull off a number of abrupt and masterful time changes further punctuated by by the riffing style. There are some real moments that come together thanks to smart writing and interplay between all of the instruments. It's like a classic joke in a rerun or your favorite action sequence in a movie you've seen a dozen times. Even after you know it's coming, you grab your friend and say, "Ooh this is my favorite part!" "Palace of Injustice" is another good example.
All in all, I'd say that the only thing remotely holding Under the Deep back is the production. It's a tad flat, which doesn't do justice to the various talented musicians playing their asses off. That said, this is still a killer album that I didn't expect much from going in, but kept me coming back for more. I'm excited to see what some extra recording funds could do for these guys in the future. Check it out for yourself below.