SuburbanHorror: Adam has stated in previous interviews that you guys don’t like to do the same thing twice from album to album. In what ways does "Red of Tooth and Claw" mark a progression from your previous records?
Adam Turla: We wanted this to be more of a rock album- more upbeat than our previous albums. We wanted it at times to feel frantic and dark rather than brooding, which is what a lot of our past work had done.

SH: Since the release of "In Bocca Al Lupo" you’ve parted ways with your long-time drummer Alex Shrodt and acquired Dagan Thogerson. How has Thogerson’s input and playing-style changed Murder By Death’s songwriting process?
AT: It has been amazing. He is much more active in syncing up minute parts of each song, and is a natural in the writing process for his instrument. I have always written the basic songs but dagan has made turning them into full blown band compositions much easier.

SH: "Red of Tooth and Claw" has been described as "Homer’s Odyssey of revenge, only without the honorable character at the center." How closely did you try to follow the structure of Homer’s poem while you were writing?
AT: Not much. I was just reading it while I was writing the album and noticed that travel, as well as trials of the gods seemed to have a theme in the new album. I like classic themes- I have always enjoyed looking deeper into the things that motivate humankind.

SH: The album’s title comes from Tennyson’s "In Memoriam," a poem that, in part, questions the legitimacy of a Christian worldview in a universe that is rife with indifference to suffering, both human and animal. How does this relate to the themes and narrative of the album?
AT: That poem has been interpreted in many ways but we saw it as related to the album in that the main character is so motivated by dark, base emotions that he feels that he is actually becoming an animal. I think that the poem includes man as an animal- being red of tooth and claw, but I have heard that some Christians interpret the line as separating humans from beast, as if they were not included in that criteria. I decided to interpret the line as the former, and in the song "ash" the main character is running from a town he and his friends have just ravaged and realizes that from their actions, nothing separates them from animals. They are literally turning into wild dogs. Ultimately what makes him human is his ability to feel remorse and change his ways.

SH: In an interview with Delusions of Adequacy two years ago, Adam, you said "I still don’t have - firm opinions about heaven and hell or any sort of afterlife, or any sort of religious feelings on the world beyond this one." Have you arrived at any new conclusions, one way or another, since that time?
AT: Religion is a matter of context- most people respond to the religion that is easiest for them to get into, whether it is geographical or family related. I think religion is becoming more of an identity than a matter of truth, and that doesn't really appeal to me. As I study religion more and more, I feel less and less inclined to choose an identity, as every religion, when critically examined, shows its flaws, and man-made adaptations. Its pretty impossible to say that one is true and one is false.

SH: Adam, you’ve stated that you began writing material for 2003’s "Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them" while you were taking some sort of creative-writing class. Do you have any artistic ambitions beyond music towards, perhaps, fiction or poetry?
AT: I've done some poetry, which I like because its short form and I would love to get into fiction. It takes a lot of discipline though and the band keeps me very busy.

SH: With your two previous albums, Adam has posted onto the website commentaries on the inspiration and the general narrative thrust of some of the songs. Are there any plans for something similar on "Tooth and Claw?"
AT: Yeah. I actually recorded a description of me just talking about the album for our European label. I will probobly post that soon.

SH: Sarah, as a classically trained cellist, do you ever find the limitations of working in a pop-rock song-structure to be restrictive?
Sarah Balliet: Well, I have never written music in any other medium so I don't have much to compare my experince to. However, I can say that the more straightforwardly pop or rock a song is, the more it gives me fits. It is much easier to write a lead part as a cellist than an accompaniment to a pop song. I think that is because it is more difficult to think of something interesting when the part is meant to be in the background of a song.

SH: Presently, you’re finishing up a tour opening for Clutch in preparation of your own headlining tour to support the new album. How has this last leg of the tour been and what are your hopes or expectations for your headlining run?
AT: The support tour with Clutch was really fun. We were surprised at how well it went playing for an older hard rock audience. We are about 10 days into our headlining tour and its been a riot. Some pretty amazing shows and excellent party nights.

SH: Are there any plans for an international tour following your current U.S. sweep?
AT: In late June we are headed to Europe for a headlining tour that will be announced soon and hopefully we will play Australia in late summer.

-Joe Hemmerling