Murder by Death is a baroque rock band who use classical instrumentation to write quirky, lyrically dense rock. The chamber quintet has released 7 records since 2002, the most recent being 2015's "Big Dark Love." In the band's early days, they were lumped in with emo/glam/punk bands like My Chemical Romance and Thursday; frontmen Gerard Way and Geoff Rickley even contributed guest vocals to 2003's "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?" Over the years, Murder by Death have carved their own path, headlining national tours and supporting bands like Lucero and Minus the Bear. Their unique take on rock with classical instrumentation and a decade-long lifespan has garnered the band a massive, committed fanbase.
Murder by Death recorded and released their last two albums through crowd-funding platform, Kickstarter, raising nearly $280,000 for "Big Dark Love." This marks the second time the band has solicited fan support, the first being the release of 2012's "Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon," which raised $187,000. Their voracious fan base promotes experimentation and evolution, watching them wade between gothic influence, classical pop, and Western stylings.
Lead vocalist, Adam Turla, spins yarns in a whiskey-soaked baritone, providing gritty overtones to the band's textured instrumentation. Between strings, brass, guitar, and various percussive components, the band is able to write rock music that is vast in scope and scale. Toeing the line between cinema and roots rock, Murder by Death finds a sensational balance between experimental song structure and pop sensibility. Watch them perform new tracks here on Audiotree Live.
Band Members
Adam Turla – Guitar and Vocals
Sarah Balliet – Cello
Matt Armstrong – Bass
Dagan Thogerson – Drums and Vocals
David Fountain – Keys, Mandolin, Cornet, and Vocals
supported by 9 fans who also own “Murder By Death - Audiotree Live”
This is wonderful. Great how you combine this music, integrated her voice. What an outstanding cooperation. Keep it up! I'll sure be looking ;) MyDogLikesRock
supported by 9 fans who also own “Murder By Death - Audiotree Live”
I love the light and shade between Bryan's dirty and Emma's forlorn vocals. There are so many layers to this recording that are driven home through contrast. Plus the riffs are brilliant and get me moving. I can't stop listening to Thou and Emma in general lately. spaceman2250
Rollicking rockabilly on the latest from cult legend Bloodshot Bill, nailing the raucous spirit of early rock & roll. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 23, 2020