... And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead

 ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (aka Trail of Dead) is an Austin-based band that has been active since the late '90s, producing broad, sweeping music with hard rocking, grand, operatic sound. The band consists of the multi-instrumentalist duo Jason Reece and Conrad Keely, who regularly swap duties on guitars, drums, and vocals, though heir line-up has gone up to a quartet at various times in their history. Their music is a very effective amalgamation of '90s alt-rock, metal type grooves, and pop punk melodies, presented inside what feels like a prog rock construction. Their songs usually have the feel of epic pieces that go through their own narrative arc, pushed forward by pounding drum attacks and swirling, fuzzy guitars. They usually operate at the higher tempo levels, or build their way there, and do so without bothering with any power ballads along the way.