When released on September 14, 2013, the CD artwork tied in the concept for the EP depicting the iconic scene where legendary blues artist Robert Johnson was said to have met the devil at the crossroads to sell his soul. This imagery was prevalent lyrically throughout the entire EPs landscape, with the most blatant use in the song “Dead Mans Victory”. Kellum has cited The Death of Rhythm and Blues as an expression of the desire to create something that will last beyond oneself. He has also noted its concept as symbolical for the loss of the group’s original rhythm section and their choice to move forward as a band. The EP was met with great reviews and was featured on several underground top-10 releases lists. Musically, the album stayed true to the raw sound of earlier releases while finding new dynamics in songs such as “The Burden of Being”, “Misery Relapse” and “The Engine and the Engineer”, in which a music video was filmed for.
Death of Rhythm and Blues EP released
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