Over the years as The Black Dahlia Murder has put out numerous albums that received positive reviews from all angles. I, for one, never really thought that highly of this group until this most recent release, Abysmal (Metal Blade Records). On previous records, I could pick out a song or two that stood out but the rest of the album would be forgettable. This latest release has certainly made me change my opinion of the Michigan melodic death outfit. Each track seems to have some memorable riff or breakdown that provided each track with its own personality.

The opening track, ‘Receipt’, really sets the standard to expect throughout Abysmal and is easily one of my favorite tracks on the album. The guitar riff is quite catchy along with the overall melody but still maintains the brutality that death metal carries. ‘Re-Faced’ is another track off of the record that really sticks out to me when I listen to this album. Specifically, as funny as this may sound, the breakdown really pulls the song together well as the placement is perfect and there was no need to have a cheesy/cliché slow build up. Towards the end of the album, ‘Asylum’ greeted my ears. The melody/guitar riff in the chorus with the exquisite drumming gets the track to a status of “epic” and may be my overall favorite on the entire album.

After listening to Abysmal, I found that I must have been a closet Black Dahlia fan after all of these years and finally I am coming out and it feels great! I think the biggest part is how much Trevor Strnad has progressed as a lead vocalist. I find that while older albums did have some great songs, I strongly believe the vocals were a big factor in why I spent years writing this band off. Have no fear fan boys, Tim gives big thumbs up on this album!

7.5/10

TIM LEDIN