| Billboard
- February, 2002 by Annie Zeleski | |
....
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead's reputation as an explosive live act
precedes its equally combustible music. The Texas quartet regularly tears apart
its drum kit, switches instruments mid-set, plays through hailstorms of beer
bottles, and roars through songs that mix sheets of slanted guitar noise with
howling vocals. Such frenzied mania could translate into a gigantic mess in recorded form, if Trail Of Dead didn't have the ability to make this chaos so catchy. Indeed, what makes "Source Tags & Codes" such an amazing album is how the band teeters on the edge of this implosion but always yanks its songs back from collapse at the very last second. "Source Tags," the group's Interscope debut and third album overall, accomplishes this by combining TOD trademarks -- jagged guitar, ominous bass, drilling/machine-gun drums, feedback squalls, and cathartic screams -- with merciful bits of levity. These include more traditionally emo melodic chords and dramatic dynamic downturns, but also unique flourishes. The European-cafe-cool accordion interlude after "Another Morning Stoner," the moody piano instrumental "Relative Ways Segue," or the eerie space ambient noise that finishes "Baudelaire" all break up the sonic assault and make the crests of chaos and despair that much more intense. Indeed, what separates "Source Tags" from other angst-filled albums is its undeniable sense of urgency. The threat of falling apart constantly looms, as evidenced by lyrics like "I walk in the shadows of your tortured realm" or "Pray to God / But I doubt that he's listening," but these feelings crackle with anticipation and restlessness. Trail Of Dead never wallows in thoughtfulness, but appears determined to stir up change with its angular energy -- and this incredible album. | |
