Red of Tooth and Claw

I hate country music. That having been said, I was not very excited to review the latest album from Murder by Death, a group with a trademark country swagger. You can imagine my surprise when their newest album, Red of Tooth and Claw made its way into regular rotation in my CD player (yes, people still use them!). What makes Murder by Death a remarkable musical force is their ability to cram country, blues, folk, and just the right amount of punk into a compact and catchy format. Vocalist Adam Turla has a unique delivery that combines equal parts Johnny Cash and Glenn Danzig. The band provides musical backdrops that might be found in some post-apocalyptic saloon. Both the lyrics and the accompaniment drift towards the theatrical, with song topics ranging from battles with the walking dead, prison woes, and the poison love of women. In short, this is an extremely diverse album that will surely win over any skeptics by the time the last lyrics are uttered: “Could it be you?” You would be doing yourself a big favor to have a listen and find out.