| Reviews for The Black Dahlia Murder's Deflorate |
| The J.K. Rowlings of Melodic Death Metal - 58% |
| Written by joncheetham88
on November 6th, 2009
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| Imagine for a moment that J.K.Rowling, unexpectedly and uncharacteristically, writes a book of such incredible vision and beautiful prose that I and all the rest of her detractors are forced to bite our tongues for good, and get in line to apologize to her for decrying Harry Potter as a snivelling excuse for sub-literature. Something a little like that forever hypothetical situation has happened with suspected hipsters The Black Dahlia Murder. Not on quite that scale, of course - this is by no means a complete redemption from their previous associations with Metalcore and the more sugary incarnations of Gothenburg Metal. Personally, I have only their debut EP to compare, as save a few excerpts from Nocturnal I have ignored the band since then. While they haven't completely deserted the trappings of their scene origins, TBDM have certainly come a very long way since then. Two things are obvious as soon as the album begins, with 'Black Valor.' Firstly, their guitarists Brian Eschbach and Ryan Knight are actually seriously good, and secondly that the drumming is going to be a problem throughout the album. Despite the technical feats managed in the half hour or so of the album's runtime, the band are let down by the drums, which are mixed a little too loud and sharp for their own good considering the only average skill of the drummer. The lack of a decent bass guitar sound exacerbates this. When the drummer actually lets up for a moment and settles with a simple double-bass instead of drowning everyone else with blastbeats, the catchy guitar riffs begin sounding much more appealing ('That Which Erodes The Most Tender'). This problem is mitigated somewhat with the use of earphones. The rapid leads and riffs that are so abundant and energetic on the album are not going to stick with you for the rest of your life, but are well thought out and would not be out of place on an At The Gates reunion album. The best moment comes with 'I Will Return', with an epic, chugging opening crawl that gives away to what is actually a nicely executed tremolo riff. If this had opened the album, I am sure many would feel more favourably towards the whole thing. If the whole album was like this, I would have a lot of praise for the band. It isn't though. Vocalist Trevor Strnad often lapses into hoarse yelling reminiscent of Killswitch Engage or whatever, but can also produce reasonable enough deep growls which, if used more frequently, would have given the album a more solid veneer of authenticity. The weak vocal performance that we do get however renders the instrumental moments the most enjoyable - unfortunately, when you dislike a singer you quickly realize just how much singing there is. At least there are no clean vocals, as clean singing is always an abomination with this sort of music. It may seem a small step, but comparing this to A Cold-Blooded Epitaph one realizes they are taking things much more seriously these days. Let down by their vocalist and drummer, with the non-existent bassist not helping matters, it becomes understandably difficult for Eschbach and Knight to carry the album on their own. They certainly make a good fist of it, however, although a lack of consistency from their bandmates relegates the album below the 60s in my score. J.K.Rowling might not be any good at writing, but, as the eternal argument in favour of her goes, she does get children reading. I am sure TBDM have got plenty of kids among their fanbase, and perhaps this album will lead those pupal-stage metalheads onto more accomplished bands. (http://baileysmmcreamy.blogspot.com/) |
| Hey they've tried something new - 86% |
| Written by godst0pper
on September 22nd, 2009
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| The Black Dahlia Murder have been around for some time now, the biggest thing about this band can be the fact that they influence alot of metalcore bands with a melodic sound. The Black Dahlia Murder brings faster guitar melodies, musicianship that reaks of speed metal influences, and heavier/harsher vocals than before. This band is coming out of its shell, and boy are they pissed. First thing I want to talk about is the production. Everything here iworking together and coming in a clear manor. I can honestly say that this is by far the best produced album by TBDM. Instead of the band members doing their own thing, they all work as a team with creating this album. Each band member, from the bassist to the drummer, can lead the band to start songs off or start a melodic metalcore breakdown, or even lead to a guitar and drum solo. It really seems like everyone in the band is taking turns on showing off their talents. The only issue with the production is that it was 34 minutes long. The entire album seemed like it flew by a little too fast. The music is all composed very nicely with how the band plays. The biggest factor on the album here that caught most of my attention was the track Christ Deformed, vocalist Trevor Strnad turns off his melodic metalcore style, and transcends into a more brutal growl style. This is a big deal for me, because this pretty much how the whole track was sang. If you listen to the song Death Panorama, which isn't that long of a track, you get an understanding of the band using more of a chorus when the singer harshly shrieks "Death...Panorama". Like i've stated for the title, its nice to see something new with this band. The first opening twenty seconds of the track Necropolis seemed like it was a speed influenced with the opening riffs, the band could have a same riff with a heavier chug, but seemed to keep you guessing with how the riffs were orchestrated. When the track Denounced, Disgraced opens up you get attacked by the overall brutality of the drumming. The blast push faster and faster as the song progresses. Another high moment for the drummer on the album was in the opener of That Which Erodes the Most Tender of Thing, where he drops you off a nice fast drum solo to start off with. Also in this track it takes you far back to the roots of miasma. The album is also chocked full of amazing twenty second guitar solos in each song. The works of these solos aren't something that amazing, but for what it is, (a death metal band with core influences) its great sounding for what the band can actaully do. The metalcore genre of this band is still there unfortunately. They do have some breakdowns that are core related, but arent that heavy. I would have like to have seen the band take their more death metal side, rather than incorporate the melodic structures. Also the duel vocals used on the album should been a little more death influenced, one half harsh squeal type vocals, and the other half heavy metalcore style vocals, there should have been more death relations. This is a good album from TBDM. They have tried more new things that make them innovative as aposed to the works of Miasma or Nocturnal, although the does still carry the stench of those two, its still solid. If the album had been longer and more death metal influenced this would something unforgetable. I recomend this for anyone who can tollerate generic metalcore related subjects with hints of melodic death. |
| Nocturnal Continued - 80% |
| Written by UpInSmoke
on September 15th, 2009
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| Back in 2007 The Black Dahlia Murder released Nocturnal, an excellent improvement over their 2005 full-length release, Miasma. Whereas Miasma felt rushed, with very unimaginative drum work and only a few songs that stood out, Nocturnal was an example of tight song writing and musicianship. Drummer Shannon Lucas, formerly of All That Remains, brought a signature sound that helped the album stand out over their previous releases. So here we are two years later and you figure it can only get better from here for Black Dahlia right? Things can change for a band. For starters long-time guitarist and founding member John Kempainen, opted to leave BDM last year, in pursuit of other goals. Ryan Knight, former guitarist of technical death metal outfit Arsis, was tapped to take his place. While this isn't a bad thing, it harbored the dread that BDM would become more technical the retaining the melodic sound they have made so famous for themselves. After extensive touring the band entered the studio to record their latest effort, Deflorate. Now if you were expecting something new from The Black Dahlia Murder, then you'll probably be sorely disappointed with Deflorate. This album is essentially Nocturnal Part 2, consisting of a similar song structure found on the aforementioned release. The good news is the musicianship is as solid as before. Each band member contributes to the album to the fullest of their abilities. The guitar solos stand out a bit more than on Nocturnal. It's obvious that Ryan Knight's time in Arsis certainly influenced the guitar playing quite a bit, as each solo, while still containing the melodic tones that the band is so famous for, are now more technical and tighter than usual. The drumming stands out just as it did on Nocturnal, with Shannon Lucas blasting away with incredible proficiency. Deflorate isn't going to break down any barriers or create a new premise for future bands to follow but all the right elements are included on this album. While some people may be put off by the lack of variety, fans of Nocturnal will definitely want to pick up Deflorate. If nothing else, this album will at least pin the band as being consistent. 4/5 |