...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead

Does everything Trail of Dead do have to be so epic?  Yes.  Yes it does.  Forget the Quadrophonic studio sound.  Forget the orchestration.  Forget the lyrics.  It’s all really just one big epic noise, woven through 22 tracks that ebb and flow, with darkness and light, beauty and fury, that aims to gut you and leave you writhing on the sidewalk, left to drown in your cold, cold blood.  The music always hits hard even when the pop and beauty are evident as they are throughout.  My take on their modus operandi I interpret as their desire to either pummel the listener into submission with the might of their wrath regarding their heavier moments, or lull the listener into a deceptive trance with their beautiful ones before decimation. Their albums are always dark and weighty stabs of brutal excess, but I mean that in the best possible way.  This one is no exception.  On one hand, there’s the melodic pop sounds of ‘Field Song’or ‘Penny Candle’, complimented by the sludgy yet heavy psych rock of 70s influenced songs like ‘No Confidence’, and rounded out by the beautiful acoustic balladry of ‘The Great Divide’ or the orchestral and string laced ‘English Magic’. Bleed Here Now pushes seamlessly through different influences, genres and periods of time in rock music, while sounding cohesive all at once, and still all very much classic Trail of Dead. And just when you thought you’ve heard it all, there’s the grandiose and triumphant sounding Golden Sail or Contra Mundum, or the full on 60s brit pop influenced anthem “Salt In Your Eyes” which is sure to please your die hard indie rock fan but also fans of classic The Beatles or Queen. Somehow, it all just works, and the album exemplifies Trail of Dead at their most creative to date, while still being undeniably melodic and catchy in classic TOD form. Quite frankly, Bleed Here Now really has it all, something for any true music lover.

My recommendation…This album should be played straight through without interruption and at maximum volume, through a set of higih quality speakers or headphones to do it justice.  You’ll rock, you’ll groove, you’ll cry and swoon.  The album elicits extreme emotion that puts the listener through joy and trauma simultaneously. All just one crushing epic movement. I was transfixed listening to its glory.  Ultimate Progcore and a modern day take on Classic Rock. A very good listen and another outstanding chapter to the bands illustrious career. And don't let the 1 hour and 22 min run time intimidate you. Yes, it’s long and dense and requires patience at times. However, it absolutely deserves your strict attention, is well worth your time, and before you know it, you'll be hitting Play/Repeat all over again.