THE
BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
Trevor
Strnad- vocals
Brian Eschbach- guitars
John Kempainen- guitar
Bart Williams – Bass
Pierre Langlois– Drums
The Black Dahlia Murder immediately established themselves
at the forefront of the then-burgeoning U.S. metal
scene when they released their full-length Metal Blade
debut Unhallowed in June 2003. The release of that
critically lauded album, however, was only the beginning
of an epic journey that would find this Detroit, Michigan,
quintet dealing with personnel issues and a nonstop
touring itinerary that kept them on the road for nearly
two years playing with bands as diverse as The Red
Chord, Arch Enemy, Napalm Death and Terror. But those
experiences ultimately had a profound affect on their
latest Metal Blade release, Miasma. "The road
has been what really made Miasma what it is,"
vocalist Trevor Strnad confesses. "Much of the
content here is a direct result of our experience
in the band."
It
is no surprise, then, that Miasma reflects the insanity
of life on the road for five guys, barely over the
legal drinking age, who were playing an endless string
of shows across North America and Europe. "It's
quite a bit more personal lyrically, ranging from
anthems of cheap sex and drug use to more classic
Black Dahlia Murder horror style," says Strnad.
"I've tried to reinvent BDM lyrically here. It's
still dark. It's still really evil shit."
Strnad’s
growth as a lyricist is just one of the ways the band
expanded its sound on Miasma. Guitarist Brian Eschbach
contributed more to the writing process while his
counterpart John Kempainen wrote and played solos
for every track. As a result, The Black Dahlia Murder
have created an album that reflects the bonds cemented
by the band's two-year odyssey. Recorded and co-produced
with the band by Scarlet drummer Andreas Magnusson
at Planet Red Studio in Richmond, Virginia, Miasma
is a deadly reinvention of The Black Dahlia Murder's
nefariously nasty melodic death metal sound. It is
a sound that Kempainen simply describes as "more
pissed off." Strnad sees other improvements,
as well, however. "The new songs are much heavier
than anything on Unhallowed," he declares. "We
were making a conscious effort to challenge ourselves
as players and give each song an identity of it's
own."
Miasma
is just the latest chapter in the ever-twisted saga
of The Black Dahlia Murder who since before the release
of this immeasurably anticipated sophomore effort,
landed themselves a spot on the coveted second stage
at Ozzfest 2005 alongside bands like Killswitch Engage,
Mastodon, Rob Zombie, and label mates As I Lay Dying.
The band followed up their successful run on Ozzfest
with an exceptional headlining tour with Between the
Buried & Me, Cephalic Carnage, and up and comers
Into The Moat which sold out almost every single show
as did their co-headlining run with Throwdown which
also included label mates The Red Chord in the line
up. The band also made their way over to Europe and
Japan bringing their brand of American melodic death
metal to the masses.
The
Black Dahlia Murder is secured to play this summers
Sounds of the Underground festival along with In Flames,
Terror, Trivium, and label mates Cannibal Corpse and
headliners As I Lay Dying. All in all The Black Dahlia
Murder have more than proved themselves to be warriors
of the road, an unbeaten live act, and ferocious musicians
that can not and will not be stopped.
