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 ...Trail of Dead |
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Review and photos by Matt Schwenke By names alone, the lineup of ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead with the Secret Machines and Invade Rome could've easily been mistaken for a blistering night of heavy metal, but while thunderous moments abounded, artful and dynamic rock was the common thread of the evening.Touring in support of their 2009 release Century of Self, the Austin, Tex.-based sextet ...Trail of Dead took the stage with the ominous invocation "Giants Causeway" and set the scale of their musical landscape at gigantic. Following it up with the dynamic "Isis Unveiled," the previous expanses were reduced to a mere arm's length with mid-song silence that gave way to a high-powered emission of drums by Jason Reece and Aaron Ford. Other notables from the new album included "Far Pavilions," which paid homage to some punk roots before laying them in wake with a swirling mass of rock, while "Bells of Creation" proved to be one of the most dynamic offerings of the evening as Conrad Keely sang over a pulsing piano line that built into an epic ending. Much rawer by comparison, earlier material like the relentlessly fast and furious "It Was There That I Saw You" and the entrancing "How Near How Far" from Source Tags and Codes still anchors Trail of Dead's sound, while the percolating drums and near pop hook vocals of "Wasted State of Mind" from So Divided take the band far from port. Putting an exclamation point on the night's set, an encore version of the first song the band wrote, "Richter Scale Madness," left their rock scene in shambles, complete with Reece climbing atop the speakers as guitars were kicked around and distortion building up to a fitting exit. Not quite as dynamic throughout their set but equally artful and thundering, the New York-based trio The Secret Machines were often hypnotic, back lit by lamps affixed about the stage and churning out driving beats behind sedate singing in "Last Believer, Drop Dead," "Dreaming of Dreaming" and "Underneath the Concrete" from their latest self-titled release. The slower chug of tunes like "Sad and Lonely" and "Alone, Jealous and Stoned" were much less engaging and dragged at times, while the early hit "Nowhere Again" still strikes quickly and sharply, hooking the listener. Proving worthy of the big rock bill, the recently revamped Milwaukee-based trio Invade Rome has refocused the energy of their 2009 release Light Eyed and Villainous with "The End of You" and "The Phone Call" stirring up the crowd early in the night, while new material like the southern-tinged psychedelia of "Sinner" and the prog-driven "He's A Liar" point towards much bigger things to come. |
 ...Trail of Dead |
 ...Trail of Dead |
 ...Trail of Dead |
 The Secret Machines |
 The Secret Machines |
 Invade Rome |
 Invade Rome |
 Invade Rome |
 Invade Rome |
 The Secret Machines |