Admittedly, this is one hell of a split record. Seriously, it would be interesting to have been a fly on the wall when this idea was tossed around by the guilty parties. Starting with Extreme Noise Terror because of their longevity (having formed in England in 1985 and still going) and place in punk and grind history (with Napalm Death they were early progenitors of grindcore), the band is almost an institution in it of themselves having released a great many records. Trap Them, on the other hand, is a vicious metallic hardcore/ punk band hailing from the Northeast U.S. and have two other EP's (Cunt Heir to the Throne and Séance Prime) and a full-length (Sleepwell Deconstructor). So, this pairing is rather interesting because of the reputation of Extreme Noise Terror and the growing notoriety of Trap Them.
As a one sided seven inch record, this packs quite the short but hard wallop. Both bands each crank out a single loud and blistering track. "Religion and Fear" is the just about one and a quarter minute contribution from Extreme Noise Terror that contains a quick tempo, chunky guitars and production, and barking vocals that place the band squarely as contemporary sounding despite the length of their existence and certainly shows no signs of the group slowing down; hearing the track conjures vivid images of raucous circle pits in a sweaty basement, classic. Trap Them's song is "Day Eighteen: Enders" and shows a bit more variation in the songwriting than Extreme Noise Terror's track as the band goes from competing with the speed of Extreme Noise Terror to a deliberately slow beat that just sounds punishing.
The starkly colored but detailed cover art tidies this release up real nice. Deathwish's policy of digital downloads offered with their vinyl releases is a great bonus. This is a cool little release and something of a memento for fans of either or both bands. It is surprising how current sounding Extreme Noise Terror is and how well these two bands actually fit together; a tour with both groups would be quite the spectacle. In the meantime, there is this record to grab and imagine such a scene.
