IX

Band leader Conrad Keely insists the album title IX represents both the Texas group's ninth studio album and a planet in Frank Herbert’s Dune. It presents …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead as well-intentioned prog rockers who’ve learned to provide enough forward-thinking punk aggression to make the journey feasible. “Bus Lines” and the instrumental “How to Avoid Huge Ships” may wander from the shorter, sweet delivery of “The Doomsday Book” and “Lie Without a Liar,” but they’re jammed with classic rock drama. This approach works as personal catharsis and as sustained grandeur, proving the group are the step beyond Pink Floyd and Smashing Pumpkins.

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