Verminous

For the first time ever, The Black Dahlia Murder takes three whole years to put out a new album! As one of the most consistent bands in death metal, this gap is still smaller than most bands’ average waiting period. This is also the second time, along with 2015’s Abysmal, that the band has retained all their members from the previous album, but Verminous is not such a drastic departure from the previous album as that last time was. This is still very much in the vein of TBDM’s now-classic sound, with a couple differences that give it its own place in their discography.

The title track opens the album on a catchy, drum-focused intro which leads into a bouncy, lively main riff. This was a safe and correct choice for the album’s lead single, as it is the most classic TBDM-sounding song—heavy, upbeat, snappy American melodeath. There isn’t anything new or especially exciting here, and reminds one a bit of some songs on Miasma, when they were discovering their fun side.

This changes with Removal of the Oaken Stake. A slowed-down, rhythm-focused song, it still has plenty of melody at all ranges to keep you interested. One consistent aspect of this band’s music has been the high tempo, and they haven’t attempted this type of track very often since Warborn. They pull it off victoriously here, keeping your head nodding and making the track feel more energetic than the tempo lets on.

Child of Night opens along the same lines, spurred along by a well-crafted time signature that no longer sounds jerky the way those did on Deflorate. The band removed a lot of that from their music after that album, so it’s nice to hear them reintroduce it and sound confident about it. Unfortunately, the song soon devolves into a blast beat frenzy without much melody to back it up, hailing back to Abysmal. With a really nice bridge and solo section, this may have been one of the stronger songs if it had a better verse riff.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Sunless Empire is a collection of the best riffs they wrote for this album, with some nice guitar interplay between Ellis and Eschbach, culminating in the best solo on the album. The melodic, uplifting theme of the chorus really lets Alan Cassidy spread his wings on the kit as well. I would have appreciated a bit more melody in the verses to go along with the chugging, which would make them fit better with the rest of the song, but that’s not a strong complaint. Like Kings of the Nightworld from the previous album, I’m pretty positive Ellis wrote this one (same goes for How Very Dead, but in a less complimentary manner).

Album closer Dawn of Rats is a quality song, but, like the last few finales, misses the heights of the Miasma-Everblack era epicness. This one has a very similar feel to Nightbringers’ The Lonely Deceased, though with more melody and energy to close things out on.

One noticeable shift for Verminous is that the overall tempo of the album is down compared to their previous work. This comes across as a double edged sword. On songs like Oaken Stake and Child of Night, it really gives some space for the rhythm, incorporating more groove than usual, but it also causes some of the riffs to come off with less energy than they would at a high pace, like on The Leather Apron’s Scorn or How Very Dead. They do speed things back up at intervals, but that occasionally bleeds into the Abysmal-esque blast beat/tremolo frenzy that has never worked well for this band.

The album also seems to have less repetition overall, opting for fewer standard verse/chorus/bridge structures and more developing verses that return to a familiar chorus. I usually appreciate this, but it causes some misses on songs like Godlessly, where it’s not really developing towards anything, just changing throughout.

The production on Verminous is a step away from the band’s other albums. There was definitely a conscious choice to make the bass more audible here, which has not been the case on any of their other albums. Unfortunately, that comes with sacrificing some of the mid range of the guitars. I’m sure some people will love this, as there is a very vocal minority in the metal community always complaining that they can’t hear the bass on every album, but there is a reason most bands have opted for that dating back to at least the 80s. Again, a double-edged sword, and the result isn’t super positive or negative, it’s just different.

There is also a shift in the drums. I’ve never played drums so I can’t describe exactly what’s going on, but it’s almost like they downtuned them. This is especially noticeable during fills heavy with the snare. It can sound a little awkward at times, and might have fit better if they'd tuned the guitars down to B or A# to go along with it.

I generally disdain the way so many people exaggerate a person’s achievements when they pass away. Every decent musician and actor is suddenly dubbed one of the ‘best of all time’ the moment they die (case in point: Cliff Burton). Let’s just be honest and not lie about the dead. So when I say I have always considered Trevor Strnad one of the most talented metal vocalists of the twenty-first century, it has nothing to do with that. From his range to his tone to his delivery to his poetic flair, I think he really set the bar for the younger death metal bands who came after, and I would be saying the same thing if he was still with us today.

So with that being said, I regret to say that on Strnad’s final album, his vocals aren’t as strong as usual. His range seems restricted compared to Nightbringers, especially at the high end, and they’re regaining that rasp that was present on the first two albums. I don’t know if it was purposeful, or if his voice was changing with age. His lyrics follow a theme throughout the album, generally dealing with a specific type of mythical creature on each song or just general ‘Verminous’ themes like on the title track and Sunless Empire. The exceptions (somewhat) are The Leather Apron's Scorn, about Jack the Ripper, and Dawn of Rats, which appears to be referencing pedophilia in the Catholic church, albeit from the perspective of rats in the walls like omnipresent eyes and ears. Although definitely better than most lyricists, his lyrical style on this album is more direct and less flamboyant, similar to Abysmal’s (probably the strongest part of that weak album), while dealing with the themes of Unhallowed. He’s not a weak link here by any means, it’s just not as strong of a performance as what I've seen him be capable of.

While Verminous is not at all a bad album, the high points are lower than I’ve come to expect from this band, but the low points are simultaneously higher. This is a very consistent band late into their career putting out a pretty safe album. The risks they take (lowered tempo and bass-heavy production) are pretty small risks, and don’t pay massive dividends in either direction. I don’t think anyone will ever complain about this album, but I don’t think it’s anyone’s favorite either. It’s in the bottom-half of their discography, and has more filler than average, but is still worth the time to listen to it, and you’ll come away with a few strong tracks worth keeping around.


Highlights:
- Removal of the Oaken Stake
- Sunless Empire

A new year gets one thinking about how quick time goes by, and how we’re all here on Earth for a limited period of time. 2024 already? Feels like yesterday when I was graduating high school back in 2019. Hell, I can still even vividly remember my elementary school teacher wishing us all a happy new year back in 2007, triumphantly erasing the ‘2006’ from the whiteboard to the new year. This also happened to be the year that The Black Dahlia Murder released their iconic album Nocturnal, long before I knew such a band existed.

I chose this band for my first review of 2024 because of the late Trevor Strnad, who serves as a reminder to appreciate the time we’re given because it can all be over a lot sooner than one might expect. Rest in peace Trevor. Verminous being the last studio album he performed on, I felt drawn to review this one in particular over one of the older TBDM albums, as this is the most recent and last expression of Trevor’s emotion and showmanship as a musician.

Surely enough, this checks all of the boxes of TBDM expectations. Frantic and speedy riffs? Check. Melodious harmonies and choruses? Check. Downright feral and dynamic vocals from Trevor? Check! He’s always been at the forefront of TBDM’s sound for me, I enjoy the Gothenburg borrowed riffs and aesthetics but Trevor brings a level of confidence and wild charisma to the frontlines that I can really appreciate. He really elevates the music that he’s supporting, and that’s a big compliment because I usually see the vocals as a complementary piece to the music and not the cornerstone. However, TBDM seem to be able to separate themselves from a lot of their peers due to having such a valuable frontman. You can really feel his passion through the music, and though I never got to seen him live, I can only imagine how well this style would transition to an in-person setting.

While definitely mostly in line with the Gothenburg melodic death metal scene that bloomed in the early 1990s, TBDM have always had their own identity that set them apart from the Swedes. Firstly they’re from Detroit and they look like they make music for core kids. They kind of do actually, as part of the reason the band has such a big following is because I often see these guys pop up in metalcore and deathcore discussions. They definitely dress like a core band but aside from that I can’t really see it. I know At the Gates and some of the other Swedish bands helped start that movement and I see TBDM possessing a lot of those same qualities but they’ve always been much more technical and thrashy than any core band I’m aware of, at least to me. The riffs always have felt more rooted in a death/thrash origin and the blackened edge brought from Strnad’s higher pitched vocals really helps veer their sound away from the core scene for me.

I wouldn’t say Verminous is their best album necessarily; it’s not as consistent as Nocturnal, nor as heavy as its predecessor Nightbringers. But I can tell there’s a lot left in the tank from what I’m hearing. TBDM are always good for a strong opening track, and the title cut present meets the mark. Absolutely vicious out of the gates, awesome riffs, tons of frenetic energy coursing through this track. ‘Removal of the Oaken Stake’ feels more varied with some mid tempo riffs and some nice showmanship from the guitar duo of Brian Eschbach and Brandon Ellis. I’m a big fan of the riffs on ‘Sunless Empire’ as well with its offset groove. It helps deviate from the typical full speed ahead aggression that TBDM is known for. ‘Dawn of Rats’ is a nice closer too. One of the longer songs on the album but very atmospheric (bringing that blackened vibe a bit stronger with some of these riffs) and a fitting end to the album.

I also really appreciate the rhythm section on Verminous, with Alan Cassidy’s appropriately relentless drumming and Max Lavelle’s strong bass work, which is highlighted by a crystal clear mix. Clean and shiny production jobs can be hit or miss for me but I enjoy being able to hear every musician credited on this record. And while the guitars and vocals definitely dominate the spotlight, it feels that no one was left out in studio and it makes for a very cohesive final product.

I would love to see TBDM continue to succeed even without Trevor Strnad but it’ll be bittersweet when they do eventually release the successor to Verminous without him. With Brian Eschbach taking over on vocals and previous member Ryan Knight being welcomed back as the second guitarist, these guys are clearly determined to continue on in Trevor’s memory. I wish them all the best and look forward to hearing what they have planned in the future. It’ll never be the same but we’ll always have the old TBDM albums to carry on Trevor’s legacy. Have a happy new year Encyclopedia Metallum users, stay safe out there.

The Black Dahlia Murder is a name most metalheads will know, love them or hate them, you cannot deny their prolific release and touring schedule nor Trevor’s devotion to supporting underground death metal bands. Their new album is here, out now via Metal Blade Records. As someone who really enjoyed their last, “Nightbringers”, I am hopeful this will be some fantastic melodic death metal.

Creepy samples set out the mood before intricate blast-beats convulse to life with melodic, soaring guitar chords. The thrashy, melodious assaults soon spring to life with the usual energetic and upbeat approach TBDM are known for with screamed vocals atop a medley of tight riffing and drumming that barrages forth with the usual catchiness. There is an almost blackened edge, placed subtly in the rhythmic shifts while the melodeath intricacies and progressions remain in the foreground.

With plentiful stunning solos, the technicality of the release is just as marvellous as ever, while the killer riffs definitely offer the enticing hooks that the band has built their career on while certainly a newer, more extreme feeling is clearly present on this record (possibly due to the aforementioned blackened touches). Pounding with passion and a flawless delivery, while some may find the drums a touch too overproduced, this is otherwise a really well-rounded display of the bands talents.

Ferociously aggressive and masterfully written, the unrelenting obliteration of TBDM surges on without a moment of respite, offering only the most insanely hectic and frenzied melodeath with a confidence that I cannot help but admire. Naturally this could be assumed for a band that has such a glorious discography. Blistering with a gorgeous balance of melodic excellence and barbaric savagery (though in a very concisely talented package) make for another astoundingly good release from TBDM.

There is enough diversity in tempo and riffs to keep fresh while in just over half an hour, we see an unmistakably riveting and chaotic assault from the band. Truly a crushing feat that has the usual instrumental magnificence backing up harshly screeched vocals, the mix we all know and many of us love, but with a revamped and furthered sense of frantic aggression. Packed with grooves, melodies and hooks that you won’t quickly forget, this is another wonderful release from The Black Dahlia Murder.

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com

I've been a fan of TBDM since Nocturnal, which, of course I loved the albums prior as well as the albums after... Until the career slumps until Abysmal and Nightbringers. The latter being my least favorite by a large margin, so naturally I was afraid of Verminous being more of the same monotony. Granted, even the worst TBDM album is still a solid album. Also, I'm sure it's the talk of the town, but can I say I'm saddened by their broken streak of releasing an album every two years? Hey, if it made the difference another middling record and a return to their superior form, which this album is, then I'm fine the streak is broken.

The songwriting is the strongest aspect on this album. Like I mentioned, they've returned to their more interesting form. I believe a large part of this is this album feels more fun. It's like they've had a run of albums where they took themselves too damn seriously. Here they seem to be having fun again and it shows with the hooky riffs, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and a little more straying from being just standard death metal. I am fully on board the TBDM train once again!

2:11 on removal of the "Removal of the Oaken Stake" or 1:47 on "Sunless Empire", have these playful moments that I just love. Short and sweet but adds some much needed flair and pulls your attention back in. There was little to none of it on their previous two records so they both drowned in a self-serious monotony that I got bored with quick. I really appreciate the lead guitar solos on this album. Some of Ryan Knights first contributions to the solos I found too noodly. Impressive as they were, I got tired of the repetitive scales, especially coming from being introduced to the bands original guitarist (John Kempainen) having such soulful solos. I love the sleazy guitar into on "How Very Dead" and it reminisces TBDMs golden age. This is the album where current guitarist Brandon Ellis I think found his stride. Both guitar sections on the whole thing bring interesting riffs, tasty licks, and an overall great guitar section.

The drums are more dynamic on this release (even though they'll never match the one-and-only sound of Shannon Lucas' run with the band). 00:39 on "Leather Apron's Scorn" Could have been a fairly easy cookie cutter section, but the drums were interesting and ear-catching. there are plenty of sections that are like this on this song, let alone the whole album. I thought the drums on this bands previous two releases were so incredibly boring and this album rights the ship. Full steam ahead!

Simple as it is, the bass break-out at 1:51 on "The Leather Apron's Scorn" is such a treat (Really, that whole song is a treat). Part of that too, though, is the composition right afterwards that gets me so pumped every time. The bass gets a lot of time in the limelight and it usually does something interesting. The opportunity is not squandered here!

What can I say? Trevor Strand is a beast on the mic. He always brings it and is so fun to listen to. He doesn't reinvent the wheel here, but that's fine when you have one of the best wheels. The initial vocals on "Godlessly" has the rarely used mid-range vocals. Also, 3:02 on that song features... Someone else??? This site only credits Trevor with vocals for the album so maybe it's just an odd effect I'm not used to him using. Either way, if you're familiar with Trevor's work you'll be pleased with this release because it's unmistakably his style but with more solid vocal patterns than on the previous two releases.

Fav tracks:
-The Leather Apron's Scorn
-Child of Night
-Verminous
-Sunless Empire

Technical skill: 91% Songwriting: 93% Production: 89% Originality: 81%

Accurate title really... One of MDM’s more authentic acts, The Black Dahlia Murder returns with their eagerly awaited 9th full length “Verminous”, and make sure to offer what they promise. Vocalist Trevor Strnad stated that with this record, the band made their greatest evolutionary leap so far. That sounds like a really bold statement but in all fairness TBDM haven’t been leaping that much between albums throughout the years. This is a band that has a trademark sound and as a result, some rather well-defined sound patterns. But what I feel like I must stress is that despite their rather formulaic approach to songwriting they have created their own print and have been successfully selling it for nearly two decades. I only recently started listening to them but I’m proud to have made my homework on them and while my appetite for creative variety is left somewhat unsatisfied by their style, the latest offering bends that perception just about enough to give more flavors and also stay true to the band’s feel.

The Black Dahlia sound is one that generally doesn’t take prisoners. It’s filthy, heavy, charmingly gory and even gives me some slight horror vibes here and there, but at the core, it just riffs its way into your soul. The Black Dahlia chugs are the first thing that I liked, providing a strong rhythm section that the band heavily relies on. With that essential statement out of the way let’s address that advertised leap for a while. The band’s albums are quite short and compact, comprised of short and compact bangers. 2017’s “Nightbringers” is a solid example of this and also probably as pedal to the metal as the band ever was. Yet I found that their way of allowing some more variety this time around was to actually give the songs more space to breathe. Hence Verminous tends to lay off the throttle for a bit and to bring more interesting song structures as well as more intricate individual riff ideas. While it looks deceivingly monochrome in green (and not in an eco-friendly way), this album is actually more creatively colorful than it appears at first glance and I could say it even has a slight cinematic touch.

One would even be tempted to use the word “mature” to depict this record but while that’s fairly true, in no way does it mean that the gritty edge was compromised. I still see no prisoners. It’s also great to see how well this style blends in the band’s more melodic end. I sense a more cohesive connection between the lead ideas and solos. This may also be due the presence of still somewhat new guitarist Brandon Ellis of Arsis who has joined in 2016 and brought new creative potential with him. Lead-wise I could really taste some of the solos such as the one from “Sunless Empire” or the squeaky ideas in “The Wereworm’s Feast”. This latter one is a good example of a less conventional track with lots of cool mood changes (gotta love the way it picks up momentum at the end). “Removal of the Oaken Stake” is another one that caught my interest, the cool bass flashes in “Leather’s Apron” are also nice to behold. The already released “Child of Night” is the first already available taste of TBDM’s latest approach. Last of all the album’s closing with a solo cut short to give way to some heavy chugs fading under the sound of rat squeals and raw sewage, does paint a nasty typical Black Dahlia picture fitting this record nicely alongside its nasty siblings.

I had a lot of focus on what the band changed, but at the core I must notice just how well this record fits into their catalogue. It’s like a bigger brother to their previous releases and it actually has a consistent amount of “new” but one thing that hasn’t changed is the vocal style. Horrid and nasty as always, Trevor’s vocals are on the filthier side of death metal delivery, not going too far down the growl spectrum and of course barely ever catching a breath. Must also applaud the production quality of the record, delivering a balanced sound and profound punch that maybe even does more justice to the songs then they deserved. While this band isn’t one of my favorites, they did give me a fun ride and for their dedicated fan-base I’m sure the new record will be an instant seller.

Enjoy!

Originally written for The Metal Observer: http://www.metal-observer.com/3.o/review/the-black-dahlia-murder-verminous/

December of 2019, the month where I got into The Black Dahlia Murder since a friend of mine told me to give them a try, I was pretty much fascinated with their style so you could understand how exciting was for me to know that they were going to release a new album soon, and I impatiently waited for this record to come out, totally paid off the wait.

The guys from the band know what they're doing and what they have to do, how to write great material for melodic death metal. In the album they start ripping our faces off with the first two tracks: "Verminous" has the honor to introduce us this majestic work and it starts with some powerful loads of beats on the drums that I loved; "Godlessly" as the second song has an even heavier atmosphere. The album overall has a good balance between fast speeds, slow parts and breakdowns for making our heads pop off like in "Removal Of The Oaken Stake" and "Child Of Night". The drummer Alan Cassidy kind of destroyed his hands and feet on that drum kit making it sound rhythmically fluid, groovy and solid. If you're like me and love fast parts, then "Dawn Of Rats", "How Very Dead" and "The Wereworm's Feast" are definitely songs for you. This last one is a complete banger that starts like a punch directly in your face, it's a sensation as pleasing like just some few things can please somebody.

I really like when the bass gets leadership in some parts, I'm speaking about songs like "Child Of Night" and "The Leather Apron's Scorn", songs where Max Lavelle's bass totally kills it with those powerful and distorted riffs. Also helps a lot on those characteristic harmonies with chaotic sounds and scales that melodic death metal has. But isn't exclusively death metal, I mean that some sections on some songs gave me vibes of doom metal, other ones give thrash vibes but the technical death metal style that joins to melodeath is probably the most important thing to talk about when we speak of musical styles, for example the drums take the advantage that this style gives of having a pretty big variety of beats and arrangements, reminding me a bit of the awesomeness of Gene Hoglan, Alan Cassidy is a damn beast behind the kit.

The weakest song it's gonna be "A Womb In Dark Chrysalis" just because it's a 48 seconds long instrumental interlude serving as an intro for the last track "Dawn Of Rats", let's talk about how amazing this song is for ending. It's built as a song in 3/4 which is a pretty common time signature in death metal, it has that sound with a message that says "we are The Black Dahlia Murder and we successfully have come to kick some asses with our new record", sure they did. This last track shows us the band's signature. The album has pretty well written guitar solos, like in "Removal Of The Oaken Stake" there's a solo with simplicity but teamed up with a spectacular sound and in "Sunless Empire", ah man... I'm speechless about how beautiful that guitar solo is, my favorite in the whole album! Precious and brilliant.

So, Verminous is an album that everyone on the scene must listen to, it could definitely be on the podium of the best metal albums of 2020, better than "V" by Havok, Lamb Of God's self-titled, "Quadra" by Sepultura, "Diamonds In The Rough" by Avenged Sevenfold just so name some records. I don't know if some albums soon to be released in the second half of this year will be as great as this one, but honestly I doubt it, zero disappointments with this work. Also a beautiful art in the cover, with those green colors: some intense and some darker, also blueish tones of green. Now musically it's definitely going to satisfy me for a long time until The Black Dahlia Murder releases a new album in hopefully a couple of years. Seriously I would really like to personally congratulate the guys who made this masterpiece.