Words by Maddy Howell / Photo by Oli Sansom

In 2022, The Black Dahlia Murder faced unthinkable tragedy.

The news of frontman and co-founder Trevor Strnad’s passing rippling through the heavy metal community, the future for one of death metal’s most beloved exports became uncertain. The band’s remaining members immersed in a period of profound grief, as the months passed by, they knew there was a tough decision to make: Was it time to close the door on all they had worked for over the last two decades, or do they find a way to continue in honour of their fallen brother?

The answer to their soul-searching came in October 2022, when the band’s new lineup made their debut in Detroit. A tribute show for Strnad, co-founder Brian Eschbach put down his guitar, switching to a vocalist role. With former guitarist Ryan Knight returning to the band’s ranks to take his place, the stage was set for a new chapter.

 

For many, the idea of The Black Dahlia Murder without Strnad may seem hard to swallow. A charismatic, iconic figure whose legacy and impact on the genre can never be overstated, the band’s latest era is not about erasing what came before – it’s a celebration of all that they have built together.

“If Brian was going to be taking up the vocal spot, we knew it was probably better to get new music our sooner rather than later,” Knight explains.

“It had been a few years since the last record, but before that we had the COVID pandemic. The band hadn't had a chance to tour that much, and so we wanted to play a few tours to almost round of the ‘Verminous’ album cycle. We knew that after that - it was time for something new.”

With Ryan relocating from Nashville, Tennessee to the band’s hometown of Michigan, it wasn’t long before discussions of a new album came to the forefront. With a few ideas in their arsenal, the newly formed lineup headed into guitarist Brandon Ellis' home studio in New Jersey, a comfortable environment for them to explore what their future looked like.

“Brandon knows the sound of the band more than anyone else we could possibly work with,” Knight shrugs.

“He's so easy to track with, and we’re similar musicians. He's one of the few guys I can trust when it comes to nailing a sound. Even if I just give him two or three words to describe what I want something to sound like, he nails it. Tracking with him is the way to go.”

Mixed in Nashville with Mark Lewis, ‘Servitude’ is a testament to everything The Black Dahlia Murder have always been and will always be. A landmark tenth record, Eshbach’s debut outing as lead vocalist and lyricist retains the band’s aggressive, melodic core whilst venturing into thrilling new territories. The perfect balance of familiarity and exploration, it takes just one gnarly post-apocalyptic riff to boot away any skepticism of the band’s forward motion.

“Any band that has been around a while knows what their core sound is. If any of us want to sit down and write a classic-sounding Black Dahlia song, we barely have to think about it by this point. The bigger challenge comes in keeping our sound whilst also expanding it,” Knight nods.

 

“In most of our songs, we tell stories. Whether they’re horror-themed, sci-fi themed, or fantasy-themed, it’s all about the storytelling. I don’t think that’ll ever change, but we have two lead guitar players now, so we can do a bit more in that department. We can take it a little bit more into the Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy territory, which is new for this band. You can hear us playing into that on the album, and that was a totally natural development.” 

From the beastly slow grooves of ‘Mammoth’s Hand’ to the ruthless rip of ‘Aftermath’ that goes straight for the jugular, there’s something here for every kind of Black Dahlia fan. Eshbach making a crushing introduction to his new role whilst Knight executes some of his finest ideas to date, everyone involved in the latest iteration of the band understands their journey at its deepest level.

“When you change your vocalist, some people aren't going to be into it, and that's fine, but 90 per cent of the response has been great. We're so grateful that people have been so supportive of these changes,” Knight smiles.

“Brian has really had to step up, and it took a lot of courage to do what he did. Going from being a guitar player to not even holding a guitar in your hands when you're on stage… there’s a lot to figure out. I applaud him for taking it on.”

“We're all on the same mission, and between us we know what the core sound of this band is. We either stick with that, or we expand on it, or we give people something new, but whatever we create will always be the sum of our parts.”

Having played countless shows by this point in their career, through every step of creating ‘Servitude’ all Knight and his bandmates hoped was that people would connect to it. Their drive to create charged by seeing fans' faces light up and witnessing the visceral connection audiences have with their music; it’s not lost on them just how much they owe to the people who have stuck with them through every shift and change.

“Once you’ve played a lot of shows in a band, you start to hone in on what people are going to respond to live. That's not always totally predictable, but you always want to write something that will connect with people,” Knight explains.

“Coming out of the band’s tragedy has been hard, and for a lot of bands it could have been the end. We've been around a while though, we’ve put out a lot of records, and we've had time to build a fanbase. If we didn't have our fans and the support of those people, I don't know that we would continue to do it. We've always had such supportive fans, and that's what it always comes back to.”

 

 

With the fans forming the backbone of their whole operation, ten albums down, The Black Dahlia Murder’s story is one of defiance. Marking the beginning of a new chapter, ‘Servitude’ is a reminder that when some doors close, often others will open. Honouring Strnad’s legacy whilst ensuing their band’s survival, each note serves as a testament to the bonds between the five men that banded together to make this happen.

“We've been around for 23 years now, and we have a multi-generational fan base. Teenagers come up to me at shows and tell me that their parents met at a Black Dahlia show in 2004, and they’re all the show together,” Ryan finishes.

“What’s kept us going all this time is that every one of us loves each other. There’s minimal conflict, and that goes through every iteration of this band. We all just get along so well; we all work hard and everyone gives it their best. We're not dragging anyone along, and if there's a problem, we just address it and move on. We have such a special camaraderie with each other, and it might seem simple - but not everyone is this lucky.”

Servitude, the tenth album from The Black Dahlia Murder is now available via Metal Blade Records. Order the album - HERE

The Black Dahlia Murder is set to begin their North American co-headliner opposite OG brutalizers Dying Fetus. The 30-date Beg to Serve 2024 Tour begins October 3rd in Cleveland, OH and closes out November 10th in Chicago, with a penultimate hometown play for The Black Dahlia Murder in Detroit, MI. 

Beg to Serve 2024 will also feature a savage line-up of support with deathcore standouts in Spite and Angelmaker taking on select dates of the run, Additionally, emerging Northeast death metal prospects Vomit Forth will join to open each night on the tour. See the list of dates and cities below. Get tickets - HERE