Replacing the irreplaceable is an impossible task so when the tragic news about Trevor Strnad broke in May 2022, many were left wondering what was next for The Black Dahlia Murder. When the Detroit death metal act revealed their intention to carry on, the next question was who would be chosen to fill that huge, bespectacled void.
The answer came immediately. If in doubt, hire from within. With guitarist and co-founder Brian Eschbach switching from guitar to lead vocals, the band rehired former guitarist Ryan Knight who left the band on amicable terms in 2016. Knight’s return keeps everything within a trusted group and this solidity is more than apparent on the band’s tenth studio album Servitude (Metal Blade). No, Eschbach isn’t Strnad but despite the differences, his vocals often sound very similar and are never distracting. This is still 100% The Black Dahlia Murder.
Opening with the sound of waves crashing against the shore followed by quietly picked single notes, it’s no surprise at all to find this moment of peaceful tranquillity is nothing but a cruel scheme to lure your ears into a false sense of security. Within seconds ‘Evening Ephemeral’ tears through your senses with complex rhythms and venomous riffing before a melodic guitar solo ends in finger-flailing mayhem as the song builds to its blistering conclusion.
“Panic Hysteric” is just about as self-explanatory as it gets, the song played at a million miles an hour, the guitar solo once again a major highlight of the three-minute thrashfest. Fancy a break from the searing riffs, triggered drums, and screaming vocals? ‘Aftermath’ says tough shit. Good luck recovering from this one.
INTERVIEW: Ryan Knight of The Black Dahlia Murder Discusses The Making of Their “Servitude” Album
The slightly less aggressive but utterly brilliant “Cursed Creator” boasts a punishing groove and a strong but understated melody as Eschbach’s vocals combine with Knight and Brandon Ellis‘s blackened riffs. “An Intermission” is just that. Thirty seconds of acoustic guitar before ‘Asserting Dominion’ lives up to its name as the rhythm section of bassist Max Lavelle and drummer Alan Cassidy deliver another sonic wrecking ball directly to the skull. The crippling title track follows next and there’s not much you can say about this one other than it’s definitely not a ballad.
Partly inspired by Don Coscarelli’s 1982 loincloth, swords and dyed tiger epic, The Beastmaster, The slow groove of standout cut “Mammoth’s Hand” occasionally – and rather aptly – sounds like the band channelling prime Mastodon while “Transcosmic Blueprint” is guaranteed to peel skin from faces. Closer “Utopia Black” combines groove and melody with almost relentless aggression before the album ends as it began with crashing waves and single notes.
Complex, melodic and full of venomous fury, if Servitude proves one thing, it’s that The Black Dahlia Murder choosing to keep things in-house has been absolutely the right move.
Buy the album here:
https://amzn.to/3NbxSbr
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK