The band is best known for their heavy yet anthemic music and their tendency to destroy their equipment at the end of their performances (a rock and roll tradition usually associated with The Who). According to the band's website, the name "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" is taken from both an ancient Mayan ritual chant and an Egyptian burial text. Band members have also claimed that they made it up because it sounded cool and discovered the association after the fact.
The chief creative element of the band consists of Jason Reece and Conrad Keely. The two switch between drumming and lead vocals and guitar, both on their records and during their shows. (On some songs, [former] bass player Neil Busch sings lead vocals). Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth, meeting originally in Hawaii. They each formed their first band in 1993 soon after moving to Olympia, Washington. Keely started a band called Benedict Gehlen that only lasted a year. Nancyville was Keely's next project, though it also was short lived. Reece started with Honeybucket and then formed Mukilteo Fairies while living in Olympia. Dissatisfied with the northwest, the two ventured south to Austin, Texas and started playing as a duo under the moniker, "You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead". The band expanded to include guitarist Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch. They then officially changed their name to "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" (adding the conjunction and then the ellipsis for effect). The band is also known by the shorter name "Trail of Dead".
By 1998 they had issued their first release (a live cassette on local Golden Hour Records), followed by a self-titled full-length on Trance Syndicate. In early 2002, Trail of Dead released Source Tags & Codes to immediate critical acclaim, and made numerous critics' year-end top 10 lists.
In 2003, an EP named The Secret of Elena's Tomb followed up, which included amongst others "Mach Schau", which was the first recording of a song the band had written in their early days, as well as "Intelligence", a song with dominant electronic sounds, which was pulled from Jason Reece's electro side-project called A Roman Scandal.
In 2004, Neil Busch left the band due to health issues and was replaced by Danny Wood of The Rise. Together with additional drummer Doni Schroader (ex-Forget Cassettes) and keyboarder David Longoria (The Black), a revamped Trail of Dead embarked on an extensive worldwide tour in 2004-2005, which covered USA and Canada, and cities throughout Europe to promote their album Worlds Apart, which was finally released in January 2005 after some annoying issues with the label's corporate policies.
After the tepid critical and commercial reception of Worlds Apart, Conrad Keely became very frustrated and considered quitting the band altogether. Luckily, the band regrouped to record an EP, but the group's creativity blossomed, resulting in enough material for an album. Their latest full-length album, X: The Godless Void and Other Stories, was released on January 20th, 2020.
The Rest Will Follow
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Lyrics
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As to want to take another's piece of mind?
Is acceptance so implausible?
Well I know how the best will fall
And the rest will follow.
It's important to recognize
In this world we live there is nothing worth dying
But I know how the best will fall
And the rest will follow
Is it so easy to resign
To ruin this world for everyone?
I guess when it's all said and done
It's just something in our design.
We are all of us so capable of
The greatest acts of hate and the worst acts of love
I wonder sometimes what's the matter with us all
And I know how the best will fall
And the rest will follow...
The lyrics of "The Rest Will Follow" by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead comments on the limitations and frailty of the human race. The opening lines of the song criticize those individuals who take pleasure in destroying the mental wellbeing of others, showing a lack of empathy and kindness. Despite this, acceptance, which implies kindness and understanding, can never be completely eliminated. The band questions if society has become so accustomed to cruelty that acceptance can only exist in a minority. The line "Well, I know how the best will fall and the rest will follow" highlights the fact that the virtuous tend to suffer the most often.
The second half of the song opens with a realization: nothing on this earth should be valued more than life itself. Even the most basic of interactions, like saying "hello", can bring a sense of community and belonging. The chorus repeats the same line as the beginning of the song, emphasizing that the actions of the few, good or bad, can dictate the behavior of the many. The song concludes with the band questioning why humans continue to act hatefully towards one another, as if it is ingrained in human nature, without providing any possible answers.
Line by Line Meaning
How can anyone be so unkind
It's unfathomable that someone could want to take away another's peace of mind.
As to want to take another's piece of mind?
Why would someone want to harm another person's mental state?
Is acceptance so implausible?
Is it really that difficult to accept others for who they are?
Well I know how the best will fall
I'm aware that even the strongest individuals can and will suffer.
And the rest will follow.
It's likely that others will also face similar struggles.
It's important to recognize
We need to acknowledge and understand that in life, nothing is worth dying for.
In this world we live there is nothing worth dying
There's no reason to sacrifice one's life for anything in this world.
It's enough to say "hello", we're all human
Sometimes the simplest of actions, like greeting one another, is all that's needed because we're all just human.
Is it so easy to resign
Is it really that simple to give up on the chance to make the world a better place?
To ruin this world for everyone?
Why would someone destroy the world and everything in it for all people?
I guess when it's all said and done
When everything is said and done, it seems like people are driven to create destruction.
It's just something in our design.
It's a trait inherent in humanity.
We are all of us so capable of
Every one of us has the potential to take part in the most extreme acts of hate or kindness.
The greatest acts of hate and the worst acts of love
People are capable of doing both the most heinous and selfless of deeds.
I wonder sometimes what's the matter with us all
I often find myself questioning what's wrong with humanity as a whole.
And I know how the best will fall
I'm aware that even the strongest individuals can and will suffer.
And the rest will follow...
It's possible that others will also experience the same kind of suffering.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, 2004 STEAL OUR MUSIC
Written by: DERRICK L. ALLEN, EDRICK MILES, GERALD WAYNE ISAAC, JOE L. THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jose portillo
this band is probably one the best band of the last 20 years, every album is a masterpiece in their own way
nakedSunOo
only the first 5 :P
Alex Block
It is a mystery how this band never achieved it's audience, the song actually has ideas and the musicianship is at full power. People's taste is odd
iwouldprefernotto
“all of their visuals to their songs were so random and out of touch with the band and the image they were trying to portray.”
Hard disagree on this one. The album art perfectly complimented what the band were about.
unclefish
@wendy graham I completely agree and would like to add the following album "so divided". both are true masterpieces.
KIJIJI ALLIN
taste chad checking in
Borrego Images
Conrad's vocals never really improved past a certain point. Listen to their most recent album and compare it to World's Apart. I much rather listen to World's Apart. So his vocals didn't improve, all of their visuals to their songs were so random and out of touch with the band and the image they were trying to portray. Another divisive moment came in the form of their constant change in genre. I mean, listen to Source Tags then listen to So Divided and you can't tell their the same band so like any good show or sitcom there was a breaking point. So now they're essentially an post rock/Alt-rock band.
The Heard Theorem
@Grant Huling Pitchfork critics are insufferable and are more interested in writing reviews that they think makes them sound smart but only prove themselves to not know or understand anything about music or songwriting. I rate them a 1.5/10 on their reviews. I’ve never understood why people read Pitchfork and their criticisms of bands usually have no merit. The most irritating thing to me is how so many people just go along with whatever Pitchfork says
Brian Kulakowski
i've just discovered this band and they are unbelievable
Rush Shukla
@Jon Jon Their debit is epic. Nothing beats it.