Murder By Death have been producing original music since 2000. Now reduced to a quartet, Murder By Death released their fourth full length album, Red of Tooth and Claw, on March 4th.

When Indiana indie rock band Murder By Death released their debut album Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing in 2002, they commanded a special attention with their sound. The then five-piece outfit, composed of a guitarist, a bassist, a cellist, a keyboardist, and a drummer, created an album that ventured into many different aural niches. Containing a spectacular 8-minute post-rock instrumental composition as well as many other solid rock songs, the album was a remarkable achievement.



Their 2003 and 2006 releases, Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them? and In Bocca al Lupo, respectively, were also superior efforts. Who Will Survive... turns away from the post-rock aspect of Like the Exorcist..., creating a slightly simpler, more straightforward indie rock sound, but something worth no less of your attention. With the release of In Bocca al Lupo, the band changed direction yet again, continuing this time with a very alt-country/folk sound. Throughout these changes in artistic vision, though, the band continued to produce excellent albums.



Now reduced to a quartet, Murder By Death's fourth full length album, Red of Tooth and Claw, severely lacks the elements that made the previous three albums so desirable to hear. The fullness of their instrument work has had a major relapse, and there is good reason to believe that singer Adam Turla's new vocal style also plays a part in this; there are only three distinguished tracks on this album, one of which is instrumental. Turla started singing in a voice reminiscent of western americana for In Bocca al Lupo, but for this album, his voice is exaggerated to a point so extreme he could easily be confused with legendary country singer Johnny Cash. Cash, of course, was a very influential songwriter, but the problem in this case is that Turla's vocal style detracts from the songs which are already in need of improvement.



Red of Tooth and Claw does not begin with much commitment and continues this way until the middle of the album. The first four songs are almost indistinguishable from each other, losing themselves in a mashup of simplicity. Sometimes simple works. Here, it is nothing but a boring and monotonous stretch of sound that seems like it wants to be over.

Not until “Theme (for Ennio Morricone)” is there a change of pace that gives the listener a break from Turla's vocals. On the next two tracks, “A Second Opinion” and “Steal Away,” the music begins to show some variation, the vocals relax, and the band as a whole shows some promise of redeeming themselves.

Sadly, the album takes little time to devolve back into a lackluster attempt at reaching the benchmark previously set for themselves.



Red of Tooth and Claw doesn't take any risks, and that itself was the biggest mistake the band could have made. It does not sound like the band wants to be making the entirely uninspired music they are making. Instead of experimenting with sounds as on their first two albums, and instead of creating memorable stand-out tracks like those found on In Bocca al Lupo, Murder by Death has produced one of the more mediocre and, frankly, disappointing albums of 2008.