TRAPJAW- DEMOS/ PROMOS/ MCDs: Tales from the Crypt

DEMOS/ PROMOS/ MCDs

TALES FROM THE CRYPT (2001)

Date of Release: Nov. 2001

Label Support/ Distribution: None (CD is not available anymore)

Line- Up:

Marek (a.k.a. Leonard Lake)- Bass Guitars, additional Vocals

Ingo (a.k.a. Edward Gein)- Guitars, Vocals

Majo (a.k.a. Charles Ng) - Drums & Percussions

Tracklist:

1. From the bottomless Pit we will rise

2. Necrowhore

3. Call of Vassago

4. Eyes of the Undead

5. Feast for the Beast

6. Room 36

7. If you wish for

8. Those who never were born

9. When Daylight fades

10. Evil against Evil (Outro)

Band's own Statement: "Since Marek is the only remaining Member from the beginning Trapjaw- Era, the Right to comment this period belongs to him alone:
Looking back it has become hard for us to identify with this Demo, after all those years Trapjaw has become a very different Band. I wish I could just say “No comment” and leave it all to this. Looking back it's difficult to find reasons why it all turned into such a half thing. During the Millennium- Era Norwegian Black Metal became one of the biggest Trends in the Metal Scene. Originally Ingo (a.k.a. Edward Gein) and I had common Experiences with this kind of Music which were rooted in our early Band- Efforts in the mid- 90ies, a period in which Black Metal was still a new and yet hardly discovered Form of extreme Underground- Music. When it became a big trend and everyone suddenly wished to perform it we were looking for alternative directions of musical genesis. As long as we only talked about it, it was always ok: I had combined my ideas to a mix of Black Metal and the early releases from Morbid Angel while Ingo composed Riffs in the Style of Mercyful Fate, Slayer, Testament, Metallica, Megadeth mixed with some of his punk- preferences like Misfits or Anti- Nowhere- League and so on, despite we were both strongly inspired by the polish Band KAT at this period. The plan was to fusion our influences to an alternate and more distinct form of extreme Metal- Music which was supposed to sound like an own autonomic Style, not like a Genre- Mix (We had even ideas about appropriate Names for such a new style like "Horrorcore" or "Undead Metal"). In the beginning there was so much potential and creativity, but as I said it was okay as long as we only TALKED about it (especially when we were drunk, which was pretty often during this period). When it came to performance and common rehearsal, especially when Majo appeared I realized very early our limited skills, (like to communicate individual sophisticated Ideas to the Rest of the Band Members) yet I hoped for progress and ambition but Ingo and Majo chosed more and more the easy way: if one of us came up with an idea which was too difficult for Majo (or too uncomfortable to learn) it was cancelled. Almost all ideas I had and which were later worked out on “To die means to return” in Form of Songs like “The Inexorables” or “Blooddawn in Kadath” were cancelled because they've been either for Majo or for Ingo too uncomfortable to learn. Only “Those who never were born” and a couple of other particular ideas were worked out and recorded on “Tales...”. The Rest were all the much simpler Songs, with less sophisticated and ambitious Potential, because of our lack of Endurance, Ambition and Motivation. Further Ingo tended to copy the Majo- Method. Our previous idea was to offer many Vocal- Styles to make the Songs as various as possible and to make the Horror Atmosphere more theatrical, but if something became too critical (like High- Pitched Vocals) he didn't try it for too long, instead he was just counting on the easier Thrash- Shouting and made it more and more to a routine. Variations like Death Metal- Growling (on the whole Demo) or spoken Words (like in “If you wish for”) were left to me. The clean vocals in “When Daylight fades” he flunked totally. To witness this was really frustrating for me, because I always knew he was able to do better but somehow he didn't have the patience (or endurance?) to try more takes in studio sessions.
Instead of realizing the deconstruction of our former musical Intentions our restricted creative Output “Tales from the Crypt” earned even positive Reviews in Legacy Magazine and some online- fanzines, even almost won a “Support the Underground”- Contest and somehow even found sympathy among Metal Fans. My Arguments it's ok, nice, good but not THAT good weren't taken seriously.
In the beginning of 2002 I wasn't far away from making Pressure by treating to leave the Band but then something strange happened. Ingo suddenly quit the Job as Trapjaw- Frontman. Even moved away from our Hometown and decided to found a family somewhere else. Years later he told me he felt to have been the main creative Block in the musical Development himself. He felt more and more antipathy towards Majo, the whole Metal- Scene and even me and decided to move away, hoping it would become better again if he gained some distance. The Rest is Trapjaw- History. The creative Sceptre and all compositorical Responsibility was left to me alone and when Kozzy joined the Band 2 of 3 Members were finally gaining for more musical Progress, so Majo had no choice but to try to follow us as far as possible (also this is another story and we know how this ended). Ingo and Trapjaw became Friends again and years later I even performed Session- Bass in Ingo's (meanwhile a.k.a. Milford) Band Addicted to Carnage. But looking back twice I remember at least two highlights on 'Tales...': The orientalic Outro-Song 'Evil against Evil' became a very special Song for us because it got such an unexpected Context the way the world changed after 9/11. And anytime I listen to 'Eyes of the Undead' I think about the 'The walking Dead' - Series with a smile. It really feels like someone has been listening to this song and made a TV-Series based on it. Anyway I learned much from the “Tales...”- period, especially in case of a realistic self- perception!"