Get ready for a musical journey that will take you back to the late 90s, with the rock band Trapt, and how this Northern California-based group first burst onto the scene. Trapt's intense live performances and relentless traveling helped them establish and swiftly grow a devoted fan base. However, true success arrived in 2002 with the huge smash song "Headstrong." This song was everywhere on rock radio.
"Headstrong" was a monster hit that sent Trapt's debut album to double platinum status. Even today, the band has over 2 MILLION monthly listeners on streaming. "Headstrong" alone has been streamed over 418 MILLION times on Spotify.
Trapt toured extensively throughout their career. Their song "Still Frame" was a success on the Billboard Top 100, marking another commercial peak for Trapt. And now Trapt has finally released their much-awaited eighth studio album, "The Fall," following a year of releasing singles that sparked fans' interest.
The album kicks off with "Try It First." Lead vocalist Chris Taylor Brown's signature gritty vocals swell above the driving drums and bassline. Next, "Meant To Be" takes things down a notch with a mid-tempo arrangement of very juicy guitars.
The pop-punk-influenced "Think of You" plays like a long-lost Blink-182 track, channeling the listener back to the genre's golden era. Taylor Brown unveils his impressive vocal range on the chorus.
With "Drop Your Guard", Trapt cranks the volume back up with a flurry of fast, technical guitar work. The song builds steadily with catchy choruses and shredding solos, getting in your head and staying stuck on repeat. "Halo" is a standout track that strips things back with minimal instrumentation.
"Safe Here in the Shade" rocks hard with relentless drums, bass-driven verses, and strong choruses. One highlight, "Above It All" delivers an infectious guitar hook alongside melodic vocals that soar on the chorus. Elsewhere, moody ambiance-colored tracks like "When I Get Better" and "Ignorance is Bliss", contrast the album's heavier moments.
The mid-tempo "Pride" slowly crescendos into an all-out arena rock spectacle. The album ends with the closing track "Stories (Electric)." Building off the momentum of its predecessors, the song serves as a climactic showcase for Trapt's musicianship with layered guitars, pounding drums, and Taylor Brown belting at the top of his lungs.
As someone who loves the 2000s rock era, Trapt has always been a band I associated with that seminal period in rock radio. Their smash hit "Headstrong" was inescapable in those years and truly captured the angst and energy of that time. Stepping into "The Fall" with that lifelong appreciation for what the band pioneered, I was struck by just how locked in the band remains after all these years.
Few modern rock bands match Trapt's knack for putting together instantly memorable, cathartic rock songs the way they have consistently done for over 20 years now. You can listen to the album today, in full, on Spotify. This is an album that deserves to be experienced loudly with the windows down or in the darkness of your headphones on repeat.