…And You Will Know Us By Our Trail Of Dead: X: The Godless Void And Other Stories [Album Review]

…And You Will Know Us By Our Trail Of Dead
X: The Godless Void And Other Stories
Dine Alone Records [2020]

Austin, Texas’ …And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead has been building grand cathedrals of music since there conception in 1994. Their 2002 release Source Tags and Codes is considered by many- including me- to be a classic masterpiece.

…And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead feels almost like an anomaly by todays musical standards. A band that began in 1994 just feels like they shouldn’t be around. Let alone making an album like X: Into The Godless Void and Other Stories. The album comes after a 5 year hiatus where Conrad Keely (vocalist, drummer, guitarist, piano) had moved to Cambodia for a change of pace.

X: Into The Godless Void and Other Stories is two things. One, it’s an album that plays out like a musical philosophy tome. Two, it’s a scrappy, back to basics theatrics that mirror what made Source Tags and Codes so memorable. “The Opening Crescendo” initiates an intense and mysterious ritualistic war dance that boulders into the ever intense “All Who Wander.” “Gone” shows a flash of Trent Reznor, Deftones, and Perfect Circle all in one. “Children of the Sky” goes for acoustic lament to build and grandiose rock centerpiece.

When the album gets acoustic and tender or rocky and jammy I’m reminded of what makes Oasis songs so great. That’s what makes this record so great. It’s the subtle flashes of nostalgia and reverence for the source material. With splashes of influences spanning decades …And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead recaptures style without complication. X: The Godless Void and Other Stories is a reinvigoration of …And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead and it only has me extra interested in what’s next.

…And You Will Know Us By Our Trail Of Dead Review History: Lost Songs (2012)

And You Will Know Us From The Trail Of Dead Website
And You Will Know Us From The Trail Of Dead Facebook
Dine Alone Records

-Reviewed by Christopher Tahy

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Christopher Tahy

Along with TFN, Christopher Tahy writes for several music publications and has a modest (but growing) vinyl collection that spans genres and generations, while being a guitarist at heart. He enjoys the Dayton music scene and can never turn down a great rock riff!

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