Uneven but ambitious alt-rock record
XI: BLEED HERE NOW is the latest record from six-piece alt-rock band …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead (often referred to simply as Trail of Dead). The band, hailing from Austin, Texas, has been around since the mid-‘90s, and has a total of eleven studio albums. This album is the follow-up to their 2020 record X: The Godless Void and Other Stories. It was difficult to discern if the sentiment of the record was to be taken seriously, nonetheless the project is a creative and enjoyable listen.
With a title like BLEED HERE NOW, and song tracks like “Long Distance Hell,” “Kill Everyone” or “Sounds of Horror,” the album suggests that it will have a similar sound to Metallica’s Master of Puppets, or Slayer’s Reign in Blood. Unless the listener is already familiar with the band and their sound, the title BLEED HERE NOW is a complete misnomer. There is no heavy metal to be found in this album, let alone anything adjacent to that genre.
The first track begins with a compilation of spoken words in nearly a dozen foreign languages. After such a surprising and borderline disorienting start to the record, the listener is excited to hear what happens next. The second track is so short that it felt more like a prologue than anything else, which was confusing since the first track was explicitly a prologue. Decisions like this make the album feel uneven in pacing.
“Field Song” felt like the first actual song on the record, and unfortunately it was incredibly underwhelming. The band was singing lyrics fit for heavy metal or hard rock in an alt-rock style, which felt misdirected. “Penny Candle” sounded like an unimpressive American Football cover. The fifth track, “No Confidence,” was a breath of relief, however, the track highlights an odd swashbuckling guitar rift. After such an off-hitting start to the album, the project begins to find its footing halfway through. The track “Golden Sail” only has one verse worth of lyrics, however the energy of the song matches the lyrics better than any song thus far on the album. The song relies heavily on instrumentals, and the band manages to pull it off well, with this song being the band’s first major success on the record.
The album hits a high point with the twelfth track “Taken by the Hand,” which is an eleven-minute alt-rock masterpiece. Conrad Keely’s—lead singer of the band—voice feels raw and full of emotion in this track. It felt like the moment that we had all been waiting for. Despite its length, the track maintains a spectacular listening experience for the audience.
There were plenty of other enjoyable songs on the project, like “Millennium Actress.” But with twenty-two tracks that fill up well over an hour, it is difficult to justify or explain the inclusion of some tracks, especially those in the first half of the album. The record ends as strangely as it began, with indiscernible whispering that grew into a hymn-like chorus.
XI: BLEED HERE NOW was an uneven project, filled with a number of needless songs, as well an overwhelming variation of style and sound. By the end of the record, tracks leave you with no regrets. Fortunately, the best parts of the album shine through and make up for everything else.
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