Deathtraps - 'Gotta Get Some' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Automatic Thrill

2. Murder City

3. Track Marks And Lullabies

4. Get Loose

5. Bittersweet And Dangerous

6. Fucked Up

7. Bored Of You

8. Teenage Knife Crime

9. Gotta Get Some

10. Know Your Rights

11. Fan Clubbing

12. The Death Of Rock N Roll

Like being repeatedly punched in the face at lightning speed, the Deathtraps waste no time on this album, although I will say the songs feel much shorter than they actually are. I am reminded of Zeke, Gluecifer, the Hellacopters, Nashville Pussy, Turbonegro and other bands that rose up in the 90’s to keep this form of vintage, vital Punk alive. Deathtraps hail from Wales and have followed up their debut with another blast of Garage infused Punk that finds the band taking part in the recent resurgence of this style alongside the Criminal Kids, Hell Nation Army, the Splizzy Gang, Poison Boys, and others as well as Sal Canzonieri from Electric Frankenstein starting another ‘Fistful of Rock’ compilation series.

Deathtraps rehearsal sessions must be something special as Veej Von Trapp lays down guitar riffs that are catchier than a summer cold and just as hard to get out of the head. ‘Automatic Thrill’ launches the album at full speed with a raging song that packs a huge hook and compels the fist goes in the air with the beat. A wicked guitar riff introduces us to ‘Murder City’ and gets the head banging each and every time which makes it a bit harder to type up this review. Motorhead would definitely approve of this guitar riff. Word of warning, you will find yourself driving faster while listening to this album. ‘Track Marks And Lullabies’ offers no let up as it comes in at full speed. While I really enjoy the guitar riff, the verses don’t quite move me the way others do here, and the chorus is catchy but not excellent. ‘Get Loose’ works better as the music has more room to breathe with the song actually making me think more of the Ramones in places a la maybe the ‘Halfway to Sanity’ era.

Drums usher in the catchy ‘Bittersweet And Dangerous’ which stays in the midtempo zone, but I wish the guitar riff had a bit more bite in the mix here. If that seems a minor concern, you would be correct as this album just makes me want to bounce off the walls. Fraser’s awesome bass leads into a killer guitar riff by Veej introduces the subtle ‘Fucked Up’ with the song hitting like a combination of the Dwarves at their most extreme and a hyperspeed Hellacopters with the shouted vocals in the chorus getting plastered into the brain. This is one of my favorites from the album.

Starting the back half of the album is the straight forward sonic assault ‘Bored Of You,’ which has some early Ramones in its DNA. The chorus is simple and very effective, but the guitar riffs really create the hook that grabs me here. ‘Teenage Knife Crime’ finds Fraser taking over lead vocals and slows the pace down a slight bit, but the tempo picks up some in the second half of the song. It serves as a fist in the air singalong quite nicely. Matty’s drums lead into another addictive guitar riff to start the title track. This is another standout from the album with the ‘Gotta Get Some’ refrain becoming a major recurring earworm in the brain.

The band turns in another awesome song in ‘Know Your Rights.’ The spoken word verses are given plenty of room in the mix to really provide some more dynamics within the space of the album. This should become a live standard with the crowd taking over the backing vocals. ‘Fan Clubbing’ finds the band ramping back up the tempo, but it doesn’t hit the heights of ‘Automatic Thrill’ for me. Finale ‘The Death Of Rock N Roll’ begins with a woman talking and then all hell breaks loose. The band ends on a high as the chorus begs for all of us to sing as we bang our heads. The guitar riff again etches its way into the brain.

Deathtraps have made a really enjoyable album that puts a smile on my face every time it plays. Albums like this show why Punk and Roll continues to sound vital and full of passion. If you ever find yourself enjoying any of the bands I mentioned, you need this album in your life. This can be your Punk and Roll blast to usher in 2019. I will also share that the Deathtraps prices are very wallet friendly so buy a couple copies for holiday gifts for the special people in your life.

‘Gotta Get Some’ is available now.

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Gerald Stansbury