One thing is absolutely certain about ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.

This band has, hands down, one of the most long-winded names in the history of music.

Even the most diehard fans of this band usually refer to them as Trail of Dead. I'll be doing the same thing throughout this review.

Not because I'm lazy, but because it will save more space for me to outline how I believe Trail of Dead has released the best album of 2005, thus far.

Yes, I know it's barely been one full month into the new year. But please, let me explain.

Trail of Dead is known much more for their live shows than their eclectic indie-rock releases. Most of us college students have never had the pleasure of seeing

The Who live, but those who know their classic rock can describe the carnage of Pete Townshend beating the living hell out of his guitar on stage, while pieces flew recklessly into the awestruck crowd.

Don't forget drummer Keith Moon's drum kit exploding on live television.

That's a concert for which you got your money's worth.

With Trail of Dead, they have built themselves a cult-like following since 1995, following that same carelessness for their musical instruments.

This is quite a courageous move, considering this is an independent band from Austin, Texas. Without a major label backing your band, replacing instruments regularly after small venues is not the cheapest way to go about making a name for yourself. However, after releasing two mostly unnoticed albums, and one that finally got Trail of Dead a bit of well-deserved attention (2002's Source Tags & Codes), their new album, Worlds Apart, should begin to turn more heads in their direction for a long listen.

One thing that was severely lacking in Trail of Dead's previous releases -- adequate vocal production.

The noise of the rest of the band, although amazingly tight knit, was just violent enough to drown out singer/guitarist Conrad Keely's gruff yet soothing lead vocals.

With Worlds Apart, not only have the vocals been moved into the forefront of the chaos, but the melodies have also become tighter and more consistent.

It's also a bit mellow.

Mellow in the most violent sense of the word. Rest assured no Enya-like stylings present here -- unless you count the chanting choir in the intro track "Ode to Isis."

Only a band with true talent can combine orchestral choirs that lead into heavy tracks; this case in point being the second (and my favorite) song on the album, "Will You Smile Again."

The album flows in an epic fashion, mixing dream-like interludes with pounding duel guitars and Keely's seething whisper-to-shout vocals.

"Remember all your bad dreams are not far from reality," Keely sings softly on "Will You Smile Again" while the rhythmic pounding of bass and drums begins to churn into a chorus that stops just short of peeling paint off the walls. Amazing stuff.

Not all is well on Worlds, however. There are times where the album seems to need a kick to the proverbial groin, especially on the not-so-spectacularly titled "The Best" (which left me fast forwarding to see if it got better), and on the short instrumental "To Russia My Homeland".

Luckily, it's just that -- short.

The disappointing moments here are few and far between, and I couldn't help but hit "play" once again as soon as the final track, an incredible finale named "The Lost City of Refuge," came to a screeching and haunting halt. I needed another listen.

Trail of Dead recently signed to the major label Interscope Records before the recording of their newest album.

Given the amount of instruments they destroyed on stage before joining Interscope, I'd say the chances are good of leaving the band's live shows these days with a decent souvenir.

But before you go, prepare yourself by listening to Worlds Apart.