Murder by Death In Bocca al Lupo FIRST PRESSING

$

64

ABSOLUTE MINT! This record has never been played, this I can promise you because I don't even own a record player. I do not want to part with this gem but I must pay for summer school. Please take wonderful care of this record as it is truly a work of art. Comes with an insert as well, and everything is absolute mint including the jacket, sleeve, vinyl, insert, etc. I only took it out to take pictures.
"Murder by death  “In Bocca Al Lupo” on vinyl. It has probably the largest packaging in the history of man. The album is presented on double 10? thick gram records, with a QUADRUPLE gatefold. It folds out to be 7 feet long! If that isn’t enough, the vinyl itself is red and dipped in a golden ink. Only 1000 made. "
I have included the pictures of  Murder by Death themselves showing off the unfurled gatefold.
I will also be auctioning of my AUTOGRAPHED copies of "like the exorcist" and "who will survive" as soon as this auction is over!

"Murder By Death’s third full-length release In Bocca Al Lupo is definitely the band's best to date. They have traded in amazing instrumentals for amazing narrative lyrics and tighter songs. The Death’s current sound is based around the cello playing of the only female in this foursome, Sarah Balliet. This wasn’t always the case though, as they used to have another member who played keyboard. Balliet has taken over the keys and continued her cello playing, which has affected the band’s sound, both recorded and live.

The always prominent cello adds to the haunting sound of Murder By Death, but the lack of a steady keyboard player forces Balliet to choose which instrument to play. This decision takes away from the sonic possibilities that Murder By Death used to be able to accomplish, which I like. Murder By Death went into the studio, probably with this thought; thinking of writing songs that would be possible to pull off live and still be able to be comparable to older tunes.

In Bocca Al Lupo is similar to their previous full-length release Who Will Survive And What Will be Left Of Them?, with its integrated thematic tracks that fit together like links in a fence. Instead of following the tales of a small western town that is visited by the devil, In Bocca Al Lupo is based on the classic epic The Inferno by Dante Alighieri.

Even the title, In Bocca Al Lupo, is Italian (The Inferno’s original language) and roughly translates to “In the Mouth of the Wolf.” Anyone who has read The Inferno will recognize the Wolf’s significance. The She-Wolf in The Inferno is one of the beasts that blocked Dante’s way to the Mount Of Joy, frightened Dante the most, and forced Dante to take his journey into hell. And in to hell Murder By Death takes us, as they touch upon themes of sin, transgression, punishment, and lastly, redemption.

"Aside from all these intriguing points about Murder By Death’s themes and song writing, you may be asking, is the music any good? Oh hell yeah! The band mixes an old saloon style with rock ‘n’ roll that would have John Wayne taking shots of whiskey in the front row during a bar-room brawl as Murder By Death bring it back to after a criminal was gunned down in a duel outside by the sheriff. Top it all off with very encompassing cello playing and a scotch on the rocks. Yeah, it’s that complicated and it’s that amazing.

Murder By Death dance between upbeat, rock ‘n’ roll tracks such as “Brother” and the jail-break anthem “Sometimes The Line Walks You,” tango rhythms in “One More Notch,” waltz tunes topped with pirate-like vocals and lyrics in “Dead Men And Sinners,” and the devilishly sounding, bass-drum driven “Dynamite Mine” and that is only within the first seven tracks.

Murder By Death is not a band for the faint of heart or close-minded. Many people will not like them, whether it is Adam Turla’s crooning or whispering, or the fact that the band really is indescribable. Murder By Death is a band that breaks so many genre barriers to link them to a certain style would demerit the band. They are ever changing. In Bocca Al Lupo has some new Murder By Death tricks, such as an acoustic track, “Shiola,” some stylistically simplistic yet powerful songs, (“Shiola,” “Raw Deal,” and “The Big Sleep”), and a very big finale worthy of much praise.

All 12 tracks are superb, but some songs which really deserve your attention are some of the same songs which will require an open mind. One of them being “Dynamite Mine,” which was the first track released on the band’s MySpace page. The bass-drum thumps and hand-claps will send shivers down your spine - the most evil-sounding song on the album. As I noted before, the 3/4th’s, waltz time-signature is used in a few tracks, and another example is “The Organ Grinder,” which also has a small horn section accompanying Murder By Death."

"“The Big Sleep” follows a man who is sentenced to death, and knows he is going to hell, “at the end of the road, he calls everyone home/and the fire will consume us.” He leaves a message for his wife, “live honest and love again,” before he is electrocuted and his soul is sent down to hell. For all the sin, transgression, and punishment presented in In Bocca Al Lupo, there is hope of redemption. Just as in The Inferno, after Dante passes Satan and the last circle of hell he sees a light at the end of an inclining tunnel, In Bocca Al Lupo leaves us with the words “there’s still time to start again.” These lyrics are driven home by the Turla and his accompanying gospel choir.

As Murder By Death sing, there really is time to start again. If you have never been exposed to Murder By Death this may be a good time to confess your sin and pick this up (before your soul is sent to hell for eternal damnation). This is Murder By Death’s masterpiece, and I think it will be very hard to top this one - not only by Murder By Death, but also by any other band this year. Their excellent musicianship is only enhanced by the band's live performance. I was lucky enough to be at the record release party for In Bocca Al Lupo, and their live show is not to be missed. The hauntingly eerie music is accompanied perfectly by footage from old, silent movies. If you are lucky enough to catch this Bloomington, IN quartet in your city you will agree that the songs are taken to a whole new level."