The Black Dahlia Murder

Abysmal review

Brian Eschbach: Guitar, Vocals
Trevor Strnad: Vocals
Ryan Knight: Guitar
Max Lavelle: Bass Guitar
Alan Cassidy: Drums

1: Receipt

This track starts out with an orchestra playing then the guitars fade in with the drums.  A nice little intro to begin the song filled with double bass, blast beats, and a tantalizing riff. When the verse starts Trevor kicks into the classic TBDM high vocals. This verse is strong with a breakneck pace.  The tail end of the verse is filled with blast beats and Trevor’s low vocals. The second verse is much like the first, and the pre chorus has a nice guitar riff with a melodic harmonic feel to it.  Alan is rolling that double bass like a metronomic jackhammer. Around 2:15 Ryan hits us with a cool well rounded guitar solo. The Ryan’s solos style are so properly fitted yet they adhere to no boundaries. When the solo fades in to the next verse, it is again just like the first but does not lack any intensity. The song ends with what sounds like a car wreck and broken glass.

2: Vlad, Son of the dragon

I absolutely love this song, the riff and the drums are great. I love the pace of this song and the gang vocals “higher, higher” I love it. This is a solid song. The pre chorus has a cool guitar melody and a sound clip “they will fear my very name, I am the dragons son.” The second verse keeps that same pace and intensity. The song hits us again with a sound clip only different this time, “they will fear my very name Dracul, I am the devils son” which is then followed up by “kill them all” then a bridge, and guitar solo.  The last verse is a shorter and straight to the point giving us hearty song with excellent structure, and is quite catchy.

3: Abysmal

Undeniably a mean killer guitar riff and blast beats welcome us into the beginning of this track that sounds simply sinister. I love the way Trevor’s vocals are delivered for the verse, and then the pre chorus actually reminds me of some of their work on the ‘Unhallowed’ album. This is the Black Dahlia Murder I am a sucker for right here, an absolutely systematic masterpiece. I would describe this song as “a fast paced, gritty, blast beat filled hatred hail of harmonious metal.” Right around the half-way point the song takes on a change of chaotic blast filled bars to cue the guitar solo. These guys maintain a level of satisfaction for me with this gem of a song.

4: RE- Faced

This song is bad ass from the get-go. I love that guitar riff and Trevor’s vocals. The mixture of high-low vocals blend perfectly every time. The pre chorus has a harrowing guitar melody; it has a very progressive and enjoyable feel to it.  The little transition into the next verse is nice and the verse is a solid effort. Right around the half-way point the song has a mean breakdown. I love it. This is the type of breakdown that will decimate pits.  I see this as one of my favorite tracks so far. It has a great guitar solo, nothing too over the top. All in all this song is a great tune.

5: Threat level no. 3

A slide on the guitar and a cool drum fill to introduce us to the type of unfiltered song we are going to get.  It has the gift of rapid fire; Trevor lyrical jabs that just keep on giving. The verse is great, a solid delivery of TBDM metal no doubt about it. The guitar solo is cool and sounds like a standard TBDM style guitar solo. The intensity is ferocious as well as on point with this song.  The chorus is incredibly catchy causing me to really dig this tune.

6: The fog

This song starts out with a menacing rhythm to a galloping beat and a melodic guitar riff that keeps the desired pace; the extremities are moving. The sinister feel to this song has this gritty slasher film feel. The pre-chorus is catchy as hell, and the chorus is even more contagious. The guitar solo is simple yet unique, almost as if they wanted the song to sound like the title.  The breakdown is heavy with an organ playing in the background, yet regardless of how catchy this song is, I felt my attention was drifting away from the song. It is a good tune but this may be that one song that is not as good as the others. That’s nothing out of the ordinary for most bands though.

7: Stygiophobic

This song has an eerie ambiance that actually sounds like the water phone that is used in horror movies. Actually to be honest I would not be surprised if in fact it was used. With a sound clip that sounds like Lorraine Warren during an interview for the Amityville horror remake “I hope this is as close to hell as I ever get” then the song brings forth a menacing and charismatic introduction to a slow and brutal song. There is no crazy blast beats, no over the top heavy rapid fire vocals. It maintains that heavy copasetic pace and lays the metal on thick with a very appropriate guitar solo while the song fades out. If Vincent Price were to endorse a metal song, this would be it right here.

8: Asylum

This song starts out with heavy artillery fire of maniacal blast beats and grim guitar riffs. The first verse has that skank blast beat with Trevor’s classic one bar of high vocals one bar of low vocals. Some bands will try this same formula, yet can’t pull it off as well as TBDM. The pre chorus has a very catchy riff and drum fills, that roll into that same rhythm as the intro. The chorus is mind blowing catchy and fun to listen to. This is a great track hands down, unquestionable brutality of incredible blast beats and blistering riffs. This song is the equivalent of the chaotic revolution inside the mind of a Schizophrenic.  I have found myself repeating this track over and over again because it keeps my undivided attention the entire time. The song ends with the same maniacal blast beats and grim guitar riffs that began this great song.

9: The Advent

This song has a quick and cool intro that sends us right into the first verse.   This song maintains a quick tempo feel to it, all the while delivering a brutally heavy attack. The song is actually quite simple in its genetic makeup; they are not trying to over complicate a good thing. The chorus is catchy, the guitar solo is tasteful all in all it’s a solid track that they seemed to want to keep it the way it was without over doing it.

10: That Cannot Die Which Is Eternally Dead

The song starts out like a creepy freak show themed musical box with a twisted organist playing along for about 20 seconds until the song kicks it into meat grinder mode. The guitar riffs and the drums are a mid-paced punchy and menacing feel. The vocals have a level of intensity we don’t often see from Trevor. It really feels like they planned on setting the bar high with this entire album and wanted this last song to be the heaviest and most brutal track. They wanted to end the album leaving the listeners blown away. And that is exactly how I felt; loving this song and can picture the pit when this song is playing; your limbs will be flailing and it will be an all-out metal massacre.

I am putting this album in the category of 2015 best metal albums. This album is start to finish killer badass blasting metal. If you haven’t gotten it yet, go get it, you will not be disappointed.

-Badger \m/
http://www.badgersmetalbreakdown.com