Formed in 2012 by guitarist Stephen Burnetts, TRAPPED IN THOUGHT the Canadian death/metal band released their first EP "Lost Dreams" in 2014. After a brief hiatus, Stephen restarted the group in 2017, recruiting drummer Stefan Bento along with vocalist and good friend Michael Grint. After another brief hibernation, they went back to work in late 2022 to complete their latest five-song EP that convey intrusive thoughts and memories of loss and self-doubt with raw passion and dark confessions on "For Those Who Never Came Home" set for release on April 21, 2023. With the immensely emotional and intimate song "Brotherhood" written about the loss of a close friend and explained by vocalist Michael Grint: "Brotherhood is about one of my best friends passing away in a motorcycle accident. Going from tragedy to pen and paper I knew that this song would fit perfectly for Ryan. Going through the memories that I had of him made me really cherish all the good times that we really had. Knowing that he is at peace and resting gave me reassurance that we will meet again."

The assault begins with "Still Sleep" as a rhythmic, gentle drum and soft guitar breakaway to guttural and growling vocals backed by a pounding backbeat foretelling a story of surviving, staying strong and moving forward. "Brotherhood" is a brutal, emotional punch to the heart with a pulsating fury of pummeling drums over riding the anguished tempo as Michael Grint pays tribute to his fallen friend "tireless nights lying awake, nothing will erase these memories, I find solace in knowing that you're in eternal peace". Starting out with a little tease of melancholy delicate guitar on "Erode Through Me" before going nuclear into a furious thrash metal onslaught of doom-laden vocals throttling but not overpowering the battering ram of catchy riffs and stomping rhythm perfectly blended with the soul-searching lyrics "it came to a fucking end, bridges can't be built once they are burned down, everything we had now is gone"

Not being a big fan of death/doom metal, a band has to go the extra mile to get me on board, and TRAPPED IN THOUGHT did just that. Musically they are polished, integrating attitude with freshness while never getting in the way of the strong story telling of the sublimed lyrics. The guitar work and aggressive melodies complimented the dark, tormented vocals aided by a strong backdrop of self-exploration. Check out my zoom interview with the band via my Facebook page Fred Bonanno