The Black Dahlia Murder – Servitude

Written by on 18-10-2024 at 23:23.

In front of me, I have the promo of the new release of The Black Dahlia Murder, titled Servitude, and once again released by Metal Blade Records. As I write this, as if dutifully preparing to write another review, a knot slowly begins to form in my stomach. This release, of course, is far from straightforward. I can’t imagine that anyone is unaware of the tragic passing of frontman Trevor Strnad.

The charismatic leader of the band took his own life in 2022, as can be read here. That news tore through the community like a shock, as he was someone who had always been committed to the scene and passionately supported smaller bands. For instance in his column in Metal Injection called The Obituarist, a column I enjoyed reading and where I discovered several new bands. And so he was inseparable from his band The Black Dahlia Murder. The question was whether the band could even continue after his passing. How could they? How do you replace an icon? The band members must have thought that Trevor’s wish would have been for them to continue, and so it happened. The bond is stronger than the individual, and after all those years of making music and touring together, it was crystal clear what the band’s goal was: to create fantastic death metal and entertain people. To this end, Brian Eschbach put down his guitar and took over the vocals. Perhaps even more importantly, he became the new focal point on stage. I hope to see it for myself soon. To fill the vacancy of guitarist, former band member Ryan Knight was asked to rejoin the band.

And how does The Black Dahlia Murder sound nowadays? That’s the big question. Well, simply put, they sound just like The Black Dahlia Murder! And of course, that’s not surprising since Trevor mainly handled the lyrics. Musically, most of the writing came from the current band members. Eschbach’s vocals does fit well with the melodic death metal the band produces. Of course, he is not Trevor Strnad, but he doesn’t stray too far from that sound. This tenth album contains ten tracks. So, let’s get listening!

Starting with an acoustic pluck and the soft, serene sound of waves, the song continues with the typical The Black Dahlia Murder sound. Often in a fast tempo and the necessary breaks, with flying solos over the top. The riffs are so wonderfully recognizable. Panic Hysteric is a slower track and feels more melancholic overall. On the other hand, there is Aftermath, that hits hard in the old-school way, and after a middle section filled with beautiful solos, we explode toward the end of the track. Cursed Creator feels to me like it has great depth in songwriting. It’s not necessarily very fast, but with continuous rolling double bass drums, it still sounds quick. Once again, the middle section is used to break up the song and build in a bit of rest when the guitarists are allowed to step into the spotlight to showcase their soloing skills, often with great feeling. The ending even sounds a bit epic.

After a short instrumental intermission called An Intermission, Asserting Dominion blasts in full force. The following track, the title track, stands out because it features some black metal-like influences. Alongside the dark, mournful edge, this song also contains a lot of solo work, with a vague sense of sadness woven in. Mammoth’s Hand is a slow track, but well-written, with a fine structure and a lot of variety. This keeps things interesting and forms a nice contrast to the typically faster, heavier tracks. With Transcosmic Blueprint and the very good Utopia Black, we approach the end of the album, where we finish just as we started: with the sound of the sea’s waves breaking on the beach.

So, what conclusion can we draw? First of all, I want to say that I greatly appreciate and admire the decision to continue. Secondly, I think The Black Dahlia Murder has succeeded in writing a strong album. One that fits neatly in with the long series of good records they’ve already made, and this one is even a bit on the faster side. The only thing is that I get the feeling there’s a bit of restraint on the enthusiasm. It feels as though the band is cautiously taking its first steps into the post-Strnad era, without going too much over the top. This is only a minor point. It doesn’t take away from the fact that you can buy the album without hesitation if you enjoyed the rest of the band’s discography. To me, Servitude is a very successful, but more importantly, worthy follow-up after a period of mourning and grief. Trevor would have been proud.

Score:

85/100

Label:

Metal Blade Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Evening Ephemeral
  2. Panic Hysteric
  3. Aftermath
  4. Cursed Creator
  5. An Intermission
  6. Asserting Dominion
  7. Servitude
  8. Mammoth’s Hand
  9. Transcosmic Blueprint
  10. Utopia Black

Line-up:

  • Brian Eschbach – Vocals
  • Max Lavelle – Bass
  • Alan Cassidy – Drums
  • Brandon Ellis – Guitars
  • Ryan Knight – Guitars

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