Ripping it up like the headiest post-grunge stoner rockers imaginable while delving further into technically efficient prog-rock, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead has constructed an epic two-song, hour-plus milestone one step beyond its previous conceptual effort (2009’s spiritually anecdotal opus, The Century of Self ). Beautifully illustrated by vocalist-guitarist Conrad Keely’s expressively detailed visual art, Tao of the Dead simply betters its sagacious precursor with stronger hooks, frothier climaxes and worthier transcendent medications.

Without getting self-indulgent, the seasoned Austin, Texas-bred troupe (now a tidy quartet) has amassed a fertile repertoire of consistently frenzied fare, recently encapsulated at a strong pre-tour concert performance in its adopted New York City hometown.

Though co-leader Jason Reece stayed in Texas to raise a family, Keely, along with long-time drummer Aaron Ford and new bassist Autry Fulbright, are now part of Brooklyn, N.Y.‘s vibrant underground scene. But the distance between them has not affected Trail Of Dead’s valiant progression, forceful intensity or airtight arrangements.

More of a traditionalist then experimentalist, Keely has technical abilities and theory-minded schemes that perfectly counterbalance Reece and Fulbright’s more visceral ideas. Hitting an early pinnacle with its third album, Source Codes & Tag, the band continued digging deeper into exploratory territory with 2005’s Worlds Apart and 2006’s So Divided .

“I had this misconception albums should be painful to make,” shares Keely. “There was always tension being on the verge of breakdown. But the new album was like being on vacation. I didn’t concentrate on the struggle. Yet our biggest narratives were written it.”

Like Pink Floyd’s vexing venture, The Wall, it takes time to absorb Tao of the Dead’s lofty designs. The spontaneously protracted commencement, “Part One: Tao of the Dead,” an illuminating 11-part suite, expands from moody introspection to gargantuan prog-rock requiem (similar to ‘70s supergroup Yes in spots) with some thunderously undulating stopovers. When kicking into high gear during the blitzkrieg of “Summer of All Dead Souls,” some nifty “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” riffs prove deliciously tempting. And if that popular Rolling Stones number brings back memories, so should thematic overture, “Pure Radio Cosplay,” with its chanted retrospective insight.

“I was overlooking rock history and how it’s been disseminated,” explains Keely. “When we look back at ‘50s rock, the quality’s still there. I worry we’ll never get back to that. We’ve fractionalized. There’s a current trend and subculture of people dressing as anime characters. So I made a metaphoric comparison with today’s commercial music. It’s costume role playing instead of valid art because it’s an image-oriented game. I worry about the quality of music since radio plays the most atrocious pop. On trips to the grocery store, you can hear how disheartening it’s become.”

Nearly as potent as Tao’s opening fugue, the galactic 16-minute epilogue, “Strange News from Another Planet,” inevitably erupts from its miasmic neo-classical core into seismic molten metal mayhem. Just as engaging, the colorfully illustrated anthropomorphic pictorial of Tao contrasts the unconventional monochromatic ballpoint-penned cover design of The Century of Self.

“There’s a totally open slate for us since we’re not part of that mainstream world,” theorizes Keely. Complete freedom. No obligation to impress anyone. We’ve re-created ourselves with Tao, but I don’t think of us as music elitists. I’m a pop music composer. Pop doesn’t have to mean danceable."

Los Angeles-born, Atlanta-bred Fulbright digresses, “When I was [the band’s] guitar tech, I thought Trail Of Dead was dance music in the true rock and roll sense like At The Drive-In or Hot Snakes. That’s what got me moving and hits that emotional vein. There’s more honesty than that contrived radio fodder.”

Since three-quarters of the band reside in the present indie rock Mecca – Brooklyn – it decided to ease into a two-month tour at local industrial hotspot Littlefield this past February. Going through career highlights nonstop, Reece and Keely – whose improbable journey from Hawaiian schoolyard friends to faceless Seattle neophytes to autonomous Austin legends – cranked up the amps and brought down the house, securing Trail Of Dead’s legacy as one of the most reliable, undiminished post-Nirvana acts.