Very hard to label this band. They have both an '80s sound and a '90s sound about them. Some songs are avant garde, while others are commercial. The two drums give many songs a nice kick. I went out and bought several of their other CDs after getting this one.

It's not as good as some of their later stuff, but Trail of Dead's self-titled debut is still a pretty solid album. An influence that I really didn't expect to see was Sonic Youth, but it seems like it's there. You could have told me portions of it were B-Sides from Daydream Nation and I'd probably believe you. But while I found problems with that album's sprawling nature, this was more compact as an experience. There is a song that's over eight minutes, but it never gets boring. This was back when they were most famous for their chaotic live shows, and obviously you don't really get that on a studio album. But it's still pretty solid hard rock. You can see some signs of the band they'll eventually turn into, and some legitimately entertaining moments.

"Richter Scale Madness" starts with some random noises before a catchy, Daydream-esque song begins. "Novena Without Faith" is the long one, mixing distant, whispered vocals with a good melody that rises and falls in intensity. "Half of What" has a nice, driving beat. The closing song, "When We Begin to Steal..." is another good mix of wandering softness and imprecise, passionate loudness, and brings it to a close. I really don't have much else to say about it, other than it's a nice album that shows the beginnings of a good band.

I'll have to admit that the first time I tried to give this album a listen, I was anything but impressed. The first song ("Richter Scale Madness) seems to just be a badly produced homage to punk, and the second song ("Novena Without Faith") sounds like it was ripped right out of Sonic Youth's "Bad Moon Rising." I think I took it out of my CD player sometime in the middle of track number three.
I got home later that night and popped it in, again. And again, I was unimpressed. I spaced out for a while, and then all of a sudden I was hit by the sonic explosion of "Prince With A Thousand Enemies." My mouth was hanging open, I remember thinking something along the lines of "what in the hell just happened?" I listened to that song around twenty times in a row before I finally let it continue on to "Ounce of Prevention." And it happened again, pure sonic terror. The dissonant opening and the punk hued drums, the shouted vocals, the terror, the terror.
The whole deal about this album is definitely in how it builds. This isn't one that you buy for a few songs because everything is made so much more by the listening to of the whole.
I suggest this and any other ...Trail of Dead (save maybe "Worlds Apart") for anyone who heard Sonic Youth's "Sister" or "Daydream Nation" and was only left craving more. A truly jarring listen.

People have complained about the production value of this album. That when played it sounds real quiet as if music is being played in the other room or something. All you have to do is turn it up louder than you would with most CD's, it appears there's just a problem in the digital levels of the CD.

That aside, this album is just awesome, it rocks, it's seminal Trail of Dead. If you love their newer albums, you'll love this album just as much. No matter what other idiots might think, this band is one of the most original sounding rock groups out there and with their great musical knowledge, talent and skills as artists I doubt that will change.

See them live and hear these songs played again as if they were brand new, you'll have a whole new opinion of the band.

what it is, is self explanitary, its music. it sounds. wheres the use in analysing things as plain and as familiar as sounds?. dont degrade the beauty of music by tearing it apart and putting it back togeather again, just let it infect you.

what i also dont do is compare this album to their most recent, for it travels in a completely different (although not intentionally different) direction.
None of this "a real trail of dead fan would..." rubbish please, how masturbatory can you get!?

The lack of production conveys the tone, nihlism. thats allegedly what "sources codes and tags" strives for too, keep in mind.

they sound like different bands to me, theres something beneath the music on this album conveyed by the flawed mixings, i think this endearing quality has been lost somewhere along the way. misconstued concepts due to a loss of a band member.

its not contempt for "sources..." i feel, only irritation. for it is clearly prioritised over their very early opus.