The Black Dahlia Murder returns with yet another stunning studio length album, Servitude! This will be album number ten for them! We haven’t gotten to hear all of it yet, but we’ve been graced with 2 singles off of it to sate our appetite while we wait. From what we’ve heard already though, it’s safe to assume we should preemptively buckle up. Black Dahlia is far from done and their displaying full force with this album!
Original rhythm guitarist and co-founding member Brian Eschbach has put the guitar down to fill the role of vocals in place of the late Trevor Strnad (RIP). Having been in the band since the beginning, Brian knows how TBDM vocals should sound, and does an excellent job of keeping the Trevor torch burning bright. Meanwhile, Ryan Knight (former lead guitarist from 2009-2016) has returned to fill the new missing guitarist slot, meaning that The Black Dahlia Murder fans are eating good this album when it comes to shred. Their first track teased off Servitude, “Aftermath”, is an excellent introduction for what’s to come. Yes, there’s a guitar solo and yes, it rips. Same said for the drum and bass. Honestly, nothing is lost in the musical department here, at all.
“Mammoth’s Hand”, the second single teased off of Servitude, expands on what the first single was doing to you. If you weren’t on board already, or you needed to hear something else to be sure, this is the one. In short: it’s a banger. There’s not much I can say about this one that I haven’t already said about “Aftermath”. It’s The Black Dahlia Murder business as usual. The guitar solo on this track is absolutely breathtaking and the riffs have that distinct old-school Black Dahlia vibe (the doom, if you will). Again, I cannot stress enough just how much of a good job Brian did on the vocals with these tracks. He really captures the essence of Trevor’s vocals without being an imitation of them.
The Black Dahlia Murder is and has been one of the most influential bands in melodic death metal since their inception in late 2000. From what it looks like, they aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
Servitude releases in its entirety on all music platforms 9/27/2024.
Website: The Black Dahlia Murder Website
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