Trapt Singer Chris Taylor Brown on Papa Roach: ‘I Saw Them and Thought That’s What I Want to Be Doing’ (INTERVIEW)

Northern California rockers Trapt will be releasing their fifth LP, the much-anticipated Reborn, on Jan. 22. The album will be released in a standard version as well as a deluxe edition which will feature five acoustic songs from Reborn as well as the never before released live fan-favorite, "Avelyn."

It's a fiery collection of alt-metal mayhem that seems inspired by the group's new-found freedom away from a major label. Trapt, as you may have heard, decided to go the DIY route to get away from what they felt had become a stale, formulaic record business model.

So on the strength of the single, "Bring It," Trapt is once again carving out new ground and blazing a bold new independent trail.

Noisecreep recently spoke with singer Chris Taylor Brown, who co-produced the disc with Matt Thorne.

Chris, this record represents a real break from the normal way of doing things in that you guys now pretty much control your own show. Are you happy with the results?

I'm stoked. We all are. We've already made four videos from this record, we're in full control so it's fun, and we can do what we want. Being in control of every aspect of what we do is something we've wanted for a long time and we're making the most of it. Even to be able to make all these videos like this has been amazing. We saved so much money in how we produced the record, it allowed us to do it. We may even be making a few more.

And the single has done well on the charts.

It has and that means a lot to us. It showed that we can do it. There are ways to generate word of mouth, using Facebook and other things to get the word out and so far it's been cool.

Watch 'Bring It' Video

Do you feel like maybe you're blazing a trail for other bands to get some control back and do things their own way?

Everyone, I think, would like to be in this position. As long as they're they're not locked into contracts, yeah, you can do this. We've heard from some bands that are interested in having control back and doing things they own way. For us, we always sort of had this idea but the timing was never right before. We finally just got control of our Facebook page back and that's been a good way for us to communicate with the fans and help promote the shows. We're learning along the way and I know we'll learn a lot more as time goes on.

What record growing up had the biggest influence on you?

There were a lot of them, but I especially loved the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik.

How about a concert growing up?

Definitely. I was 15 and watching Papa Roach tear it up at a little club, about 300 people. I saw them and thought that's what I want to be doing.

And what are the next few months like for Trapt?

Lots of touring. We hit the road January 17th and cut across the country, doing two legs and end we up in the middle of March or so, hitting as many cities as we can and then on to Europe.