I have to admit that "The Last Extinction" was a tough album to get into after the excellent, instantly pleasing "Under The Deep". The difference in complexity layering and extremity is comparable to Death’s "Spiritual Healing" vs. "Human". Clearly, James Brookes (Vocals), Frederick Dupuis (Guitar), Vincent Benoit (Guitar), John Yates (Bass) and Eric Lemire (Drums) have created an album of boundless aggression which is not easy to categorize. It’s progressive death metal while also doom, hardcore, thrash and speed, with thin layers of black metal. James no longer uses just death growls akin to Jamie Stewart (The Absence), why, Evertrapped doesn’t even sound like The Absence, anymore. It took me 3 highly focused applications to finally scratch the surface of this dense recording.

Evertrapped, actually, [Evertrapped] (brackets symbolizing the impossible situation of one ever trapped) formed in 2007 in Montréal, Quebec, Canada with an original take on melodic death metal while firmly entrenched in the tradition of the genre, that is, the old Gothenburg school (At The Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity) as evidenced on "Tales From The Supermax" (2010) and "The Anomaly" (2012). Before the aforementioned "Under The Deep" (2015), they got a deal with Hellstorm Recordz as well as the promotion of the renowned Jon Asher and Asher Media Productions. Shortly before this independently released 4th album, [Evertrapped] re-released the remastered and remixed 2nd album renamed "Re-Anomaly" which likely inspired them to combine its stylings with "Under The Deep" for "The Last Extinction".

As previously hinted at, "Under The Deep" had an instant appeal to it with instant memorability which the new album does not have. The hooks and melodies are there, of course, but they are hidden underneath a dense layer of constant guitar barrage, at least for the half of the album (that is, 5/9 tracks). To give you an idea of this density, mix Lamb Of God’s "As The Palaces Burn", Biomechanical’s "The Empires Of The Worlds", Darkane’s "Rusted Angel" and God Forbid’s "Gone Forever" in one bowl, thoroughly so that you can’t tell one from another. Onto this thick molten lava pour some melody and hooks – a Nevermore chorus and a Dimmu Borgir-ian feel here ("Sorrow (Nothing More In Between)"), a Death riff there (Across The Disease), a clean vocal transition here (title track), a "Countdown To Extinction" Megadeth-ian solo there (Stillborn Era). Lastly, mix it all up very thoroughly, adding liberal amounts of piano, and pour entire contents into a pure progressive metal form. Let it get cold and solid, then serve.

In the promo, [Evertrapped] members said that they had wanted to give the listener an apocalyptic feel and I’d say mission was accomplished because the record feels dehumanized, alien and hostile to the core of its 57:24 minutes. Even the hooks and melodies are delivered almost always in the midst of the chaos as if to increase the feeling of uncertainty and temporary satisfaction. That is why I rate it 5/6 because this works sometimes to the disadvantage of the album flow. Momentum is one thing but there is constant barrage where one yearns for some temporary relief, which one does not get until the ending of the title track followed by a short beautiful piano intro to "Illusion", and that’s the 7th track on a 9 track record. On the other hand, there is probably just one track which does not seem to be up to par, "Across The Disease", while the title track is just a little bit less impressive than the remaining 7 songs, which are full of, well, almost everything you can call extreme metal. In the end, "The Last Extinction" is a metal record from metal fans to metal fans.

Whatever you can say about [Evertrapped] 2020 they are fiercely, wildly original despite all the influences and aforementioned references. With "Under The Deep" I thought they were an interesting addition to the melodeath family, with "The Last Extinction" I think we have an extreme metal giant on our hands I hope we will all treat right, feed properly with the right kind of food and let grow into a legend.

https://www.evertrapped.com/