| Option
- March, 1998 by Richard Martin | |
With
seamless seques that lead one song to the next, you can tell a lot more care
went into ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's debut than you'd
probably expect from your average batch of sonic terrorists. But this Austin
quartet is all about defying punk convention. The blaring, unrelenting opener
"Richter Scale Madness" indicates that the aftershocks will be as
treacherous as the quake itself, yet the Trail of Dead displays some melodic
sensibilities on subsequent tracks like "Novena Without Faith", "Gargyle
Waiting", and "When We Begin to Steal..." Like lead growler Jason Reece's previous vehicle, Olympia's Mukilteo Fairies, the emphasis here is a wall of noise that varies from jarring to oppressive, made all the more effective by quieter moments. On "Ounce of Prevention", guitars, drums and bass form a cataclysm of sound, spinning out of control like a Texas tornado before settling into a siren-like sample that leads to the laid-back, piano-fueled groove of "When We Begin to Steal..." These changes of pace make the Trail of Dead eminently more likeable than most of its peers; the foursome has the ability to bludgeon like the Jesus Lizard in a really foul mood or kick into a lower, almost ethereal gear. How often do you hear a sophisticated punk album? | |
