Artist: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Title: Tao Of The Dead
Genre: Alternative Rock / Art Rock / Post-hardcore / Noise Rock
Release Date: 7th February 2011
Label: Superball Music
Album Review
...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD or for shorter TRAIL OF DEAD was founded by Conrad Keely and Jason Reese, the swappers of instruments, switchers of vocals, and yet another band that smashes their equipment during live shows. Maybe it’s time to start burning your fans or roadies to get across how wild you are and that you’re leaving a trail of dead for real or whatever the hell is next to prove your rocker? Regardless, ‘Tao of the Dead’ is their seventh studio album, released already in February.
The song titles promise an interesting collection, which is divided into two parts; part two bears an extra title ‘Strange News From Another Planet’. The music is pretty much an experimental mixture of Rock, within this you could find its progressive and art rock with a bit of the post-punk styles (not even lukewarm but cold and not in a nice sinister way) with adding in some dissonance and breaking down the usual song structure. Listening to the LP, and even with the tediously repeated act of equipment bashing, I have to say, they’d be a better live experience than a home listening. If this is ‘Tao of the Dead’, the news is bad - the world of the dead is even more chaotic, even more confusing, and moreover, even more of a mess than the world of the living... Or if this is a limbo, I’d rather go straight to Hell!
Or, let’s put it this way - you need to indulge yourself in smoking and I’ll leave it to your imagination as to what should be smoked for the experience to be more accessible and especially - enjoyable. Without it, I’m just left feeling dizzy and disorientated. The sound soon blends into one whole of the jungle so I find it extremely difficult to pick any highlight, single any song out for its particular aspects of interest. Interesting lyrics and concept, but the insectile sameness and drone of the sound of music really kill them out for me. The second part was slightly more bearable and parts more distinguishable, but still it’s not exactly an album I’ve managed to enjoy and if I were to recommend them, maybe just to go see them live. If that...
Tracklist
Let’s Experiment – 2.23
Pure Radio Cosplay – 5.26
Summer Of All Dead Souls – 4.17
Cover the Days Like a Tidal Wave – 2.51
Fall of the Empire – 2.27
The Wasteland – 2.33
Spiral Jetty – 1.48
Weight of the Sun (or the Post-Modern Prometheus) – 2.19
Pure Radio Cosplay (Reprise) – 3.18
Ebb Away – 2.41
The Fairlight Pendant – 5.43
Tao of the Dead Part two: Strange News From Another Planet – 16.32
Line-up
Conrad Keely – vocals, guitar, drums, piano
Jason Reece – drums, vocals, guitar
Autry Fulbright II – bass, vocals
Jamie Miller – drums, guitar
Websites
www.trailofdead.com / http://www.myspace.com/trailofdead
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 5
Sound: 5
Total: 5 / 10
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