Worlds Apart

A highly entertaining band, from their fantasy-novel tackfest cover to the shamelessly swirly typeface on the back, the Worlds Apart album sleeve is an impishly over-designed comic-book of a thing.
I could never tell if Trail Of Dead were in earnest. Is it OK to love this band in the same way we love Dirty Dancing? The “Well fuck you man!” between ‘Will You Smile Again?’ and ‘Worlds Apart’ gives one pause, as would the desultory power chords and angry lyrics.
Sincere fans of the ‘90s alternative rock group will be wary of the new line-up and more tempered sound from the Mayan-corn-god worshipping group, whose fury and shamelessly pretentious bombast hasn’t weathered well. ‘The Rest Will Follow’ is a very catchy number, but ‘Caterwaul’ is a shadow of the bands’ more epic moments.
Worlds Apart is still a great beast of a thing, the two bonus live tracks add to a generous offering from the trio, and the goth tweenies may very well take to the poetic content; “Would I, like the voices, rise and fall/What’s it to me?”. No one does disenfranchised like a solvent musician.