…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead — The Century Of Self

The Century Of Self is a return to form for …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.

The Austin, Texas sextet's last two albums, 2005's Worlds Apart and 2006's So Divided, were criticized for being unfocussed and lacklustre. The Century Of Self is anything but and recalls Trail Of Dead's critically acclaimed Source Tags & Codes.

Like that album, The Century Of Self bursts out of the gate right at the beginning with "Giants Causeway" and "Far Pavilions" and doesn't let up until closing track "Insatiable (Two)." "Isis Unveiled" gallops along at an incredibly fast pace just like Source Tags & Codes' "Relative Ways," and the only respite is the brief Frederic Chopin-esque piano on the 50-second closing track segue, "An August Theme."

Perhaps Trail Of Dead's anger at their former label, Interscope Records, prompted such a fast, rocking and blistering album. If that's the case, then corporate fuckery may be a good thing for once.

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