Album Review: Murder By Death – Spell/Bound

 The band croons ballads of the various tragedies and tribulations involved in the human condition

The midwest-based rock band, Murder by Death, taken from the 1976 Neil Simon comedy film of an identical name, released their nine-track ninth studio album, Spell/Bound, on July 29, 2022, preluded by the singles “Never Be” and “Everything Must Rest.” In the past, albums from the band have ranged  from instrumental, to rock, and even alt-country. They have also tended to include a variety of eclectic themes, with an emphasis on  the character of the Devil being woven into their past concept albums. For their ninth album, themes of morality and reminiscing on the past have taken center stage, intertwined with mystique and magic, and the sound of experimental music meets country remaining ever-present. 

The song “Get Up” returns to the previous act of mentioning the Devil. Although this time, its mention seems to be in reference to fighting internal as opposed to external demons. A soft guitar and orchestral sounds fill the background as, by the end, there comes a realization of a need to continue on, despite whatever may be troubling oneself. 

The lead single, “Never Be,” describes—over a country twang and cello-filled chorus—the importance of not losing sight of morality and an honest way of living, despite the common rhetoric fed to young minds that the only way to get ahead is to cheat, lie and steal. These are all things of people who, as they say, to never be. 

“Everything Must Rest” has a sound best described as country electronica. Synths combined with strings create the unique sound of their second lead single. Atop this sound are lyrics about reminiscing on a lover from the past with an attitude of melancholy. Although it may have been good, even if they may have possibly been the one, no matter how painful, there comes a time where one realizes that separation may have been for the best, and that everything must rest. 

“Sandy” features more of an eerie sound, as the story is told of a wallflower, one with perhaps mystical powers that serve as an analogy. At the end of the song, Sandy has evaporated into thin air, a likely metaphor for suicide or death, for those who feel as if they are never seen. 

“Incantation,” a word defined by a series of words as a magic spell or charm, is a song that is very much that. It begins with a chant of the words “End of days,” a fate for whoever this spell is being inflicted towards, and features vernacular akin to a fable or fairytale. The strings that fill the song create even more of a mythical sound to this twisted tune about damning someone to death. 

The album ends on the track “Strange Song.” This song is brought in by booming drums, violin strings and a guitar strum. This amalgamation of instruments creates a six-minute theatrical epic of a final song, one that sings to the comfortability that one can find in reconnecting with someone from the past, who is the only one who could recognize the strange song that becomes of all common knowledge, jokes, and everything else. 

Over their most recent album, Murder By Death creates songs that are direct executions of their titles with a country, folksy sound. The band croons ballads of the various tragedies and tribulations that are heavily involved in the human condition. Bound to the human condition, one must use spells as a means to escape.