I bought the self-titled debut by Trapt on the strength of their
single “Headstrong.” This is not something I do often. My precious
CD fund is limited, and I am typically very choosy about how I
spend it. But, I was in Target, and they had it at the “Nice
Price,” so I grabbed it. I’m an old-school metalhead, but I also
enjoy a lot of the post-grunge, “Nü Metal” stuff. “Headstrong”
is a tasty song, with strong guitars and vocals, and a memorable
chorus. I had heard it on the radio a few times, and liked it
enough to check out the album.
What I got was a classic case of “bait & switch.” The
remainder of the album bears no resemblance whatsoever to the
single “Headstrong.” The rest of the album is completely
forgettable, pop-ish power ballads. Middle-of-the-road parroting of
the mainstream hits vis-à-vis the likes of Nickelback and
Creed. One expects that a single should be representative of the
body of work of the artist(s). No other song on this disc has a
scintilla of the energy of “Headstrong.” I loaned it to a few
friends and got the same reaction from all of them. My friend
Leslie summed it up well, “The first song is great, but the rest
put me to sleep.”
I listened to it in its entirety several times, mainly out of
respect for my dear departed $15, hoping it was one of those things
that would click after a few listens. No dice. It was boring the
first time, and every other time I played it. I was eventually able
to off my copy on half.com for about half of what I paid for it,
and was happy to get that much.
Soulless, utterly devoid of originality or creativity, and
ultimately disappointing.
