Sunday, February 22, 2009
A+E, Music

…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

“THE CENTURY OF SELF”  (RICHTER SCALE/JUSTICE RECORDS)

As is glaringly obvious by the band’s extended moniker and ostentatious album title, this Austin-based outfit doesn’t think small. That hasn’t changed since leaving (or getting booted off) major label Interscope, but the trait seems to have accelerated on this debut for the group’s own (appropriately named) Richter Scale imprint.
   
This is a big, big statement from an act that never thought little, made even more impressive by expansive production on a diminished budget. Now a decade old,  Trail of Dead has tightened its grip by meshing layered, swirling keyboards and guitars over pulsating percussion to yield songs meant to make an arena-sized impact.
   
The pieces on the act’s sixth full-length release generally segue together, giving this ambitious set the feel of an even grander work. Imagine U2, Yes and the Church playing simultaneously, and you’re close. Call it indie-prog if you must, but nothing, including the ballads, is subtle. 
   
The tracks ramble on, yet mostly clock in at under five minutes, predominantly letting melody and choruses take a back seat to lyrics and throbbing instrumental power. Tune titles such as “Isis Unveiled,” “Ascending” and “Bells of Creation” accurately mirror the music’s pomposity on a disc that should really be heard on super-sized speakers plugged into a top-of-the-line amplifier. Ear buds and an iPod playing compressed files just won’t cut it for an act whose immense scope and larger ambition dwarf everything in their path. 2.5 STARS—Hal Horowitz