...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Festival Thyme EP

In the early part of this decade, Trail of Dead were one of my favorite bands. Sadly, they went off the deep end soon after, and released two not-so-great albums (Worlds Apart and So Divided), and fans began to worry that they would never create an album as amazing as 2002's Source Tags And Codes ever again. After a few line-up changes and another record label switch, Trail of Dead are back on track and have released the Festival Thyme EP, a preview of sorts for their new untitled full length that is due out in January 2009. Although it's only four tracks, Festival Thyme is an enjoyable EP that showcases Trail of Dead's art-rock sound. Opener, "Bells of Creation," is an anthemic rocker with pummeling drums and guitar, while "Inland Sea" focuses on singer Conrad Keely's sing-along worthy vocals, and "The Betrayal of Roger Casement and the Irish Brigade," an epic instrumental, closes the EP with piano flourishes, and a large helping of sound effects and simulated strings. Overall, Festival Thyme sounds like the old Trail of Dead that we all know and love, but also gives fans some insight into the new sounds that they've been working on for the past few years.

DOWNLOAD: ...Trail of Dead - Festival Thyme EP [Richter Scale]
Recommended Tracks: "Bells of Creation," "Inland Sea," "The Betrayal of Roger Casement and the Irish Brigade."