...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead — So Divided

Austin, Texas' ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead are a funny band. Make no mistake, when they choose to bring the noise, they can kick some serious behind, churning out molten guitar riffage and rapid-fire drum fills. In recent years, however, Trail Of Dead have taken a few steps back and enabled their prog and classic rock leanings to get the best of them. While So Divided isn't as consciously arty as 2005's Worlds Apart, it paints a picture of a kinder, gentler Trail Of Dead. The title track and "Eight Days Of Hell" are perhaps the best examples of this resignation, and their cerebral cover of Guided By Voices' "Gold Heart Mountain Top Queen Directory" sounds positively mundane. The songwriting, on the whole, remains solid; it's just more liable to lull you to sleep than bowl you over.

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