Death Spells

Death Spells was a short-lived American digital hardcore project formed in 2012, released only one album, in 2016. Its core members were Frank Iero, better known as the rhythm guitarist of My Chemical Romance, and James Dewees, keyboardist of Reggie and the Full Effect. Both had previously played together in the hardcore punk band LeATHERMOUTH, and Death Spells grew out of that collaboration into something rougher and more electronic.

Musically, the project fused abrasive digital-hardcore textures with punk aggression, favoring distorted electronics, harsh vocals, and blunt, confrontational song titles like «Choke on One Another» and «Why Is Love So Disastrous?». It stood apart from Iero’s main band by trading polished pop-punk hooks for something noisier and more experimental.

The band’s name came from a family story Iero shared in an interview: his wife’s grandmother would briefly stop breathing and then wake up, moments the family called death spells, small trips out of this world and back. Death Spells remains a footnote in Iero’s catalog, but a distinctive one, valued by fans for its stark departure from his more famous work.