Filth Rations

For what it's worth staking such claims when underground sounds are concerned, it's fair to say that New Hampshire by way of Seattle crusties Trap Them were on the verge of a breakthrough in 2009, following strong showings by their initial brace of LP and EP releases, and with a new label deal in sight. And, to that end, 2010's Filth Rations EP was very much the lightning bolt preceding the thunder crash provided by the following year's critically acclaimed Darker Handcraft, blasting a four-track preview of the wholesale sonic destruction yet to come. Opening barrage "Day 38 — Carnage Incarnate" embodies state-of-the-art new millennium crustcore values (think Entombed on steroids plus His Hero Is Gone), and the similarly urgent "Day 39 — Degenerate Binds" only stops the madness long enough to unveil a spine-tingling midsection that makes an absolutely mockery of so-called metalcore breakdowns. Next up, "Day 40 — Dead Fathers Wading in the Bodygrounds" eschews velocity altogether, but its zombie march is only half as interesting as its title, and the EP's closing explosion sees an update on early cut "Day 7 — Digital Dogs with Analog Collars," thus interrupting Trap Them's peculiar habit, throughout their career, of numbering each song in order of reveal. Obviously, they had something special in mind for Day 41 and beyond, as was duly revealed by the aforementioned Darker Handcraft, for which Filth Rations retroactively becomes a complementary setup hitter.