'Verminous' Review: The Black Dahlia Murder employ melodic precision and gruesome power with devastating effect
Apart from the grisly killing of Elizabeth Short in 1947, 'The Black Dahlia Murder' also refers to a group of metal veterans who have developed a cult following of late in the death metal scene. Known for their rumbling-yet-speedy, menacing-but-exhilarating brand of extreme heavy metal, the five-piece outfit from Michigan have released eight studio albums so far, and their ninth and latest album, 'Verminous', is set to release on April 17 via Metal Blade Records.
Ever since their new guitarist Brandon Ellis joined on 2017's 'Nightbringers', their sound has really taken on an extra melodic-yet-thrashy dimension, making for a solid dynamic with rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach and vocalist Trevor Strnad, the mainstays and co-founders of The Black Dahlia Murder's bloodcurdling sound.
Bassist Max Lavelle and drummer Alan Cassidy have helped flesh out the thunderous rhythm section for TBDM since joining in 2012. After having toured successfully with the likes of Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Black Label Society and Insomnium in recent years, The Black Dahlia Murder are ready to back up their ferocious live reputation with the release of their new record, the dark pestilence & filth-ridden 'Verminous'.
Talking about the album's concept, vocalist Trevor Strnad had this to say in the press release: "We, members of our beloved and hidden world of the heavy metal underground teeming just below the surface, are the verminous. The rats and roaches looming in the cracks and crevices of this fallen world. We are the pariahs that the world of normality finds loathsome and obscene. We are the carriers of a plague of knowledge so vile that it could bring the unsuspecting mankind to its knees. Always the underdogs. Our love for this music and what it means to our lives is foolishly underestimated... Although we are but lowly vermin to them, unseen and underestimated, our numbers are millions strong." That's certainly quite a chilling statement, and the ten songs on this album are every bit as brutal and gruesome as that introduction entails.
The title track 'Verminous' starts off with the unexpected sounds of sewer water dripping, an ominous harbinger of the deluge that is to rain down upon us. What comes next is some majestic down-tuned riffs, blasting double-bass drum beats, maniacal snarling, and deep guttural growls. The guitarist Brandon Ellis uses some brilliant melodic techniques throughout, including a dexterous harmonic slide that has to be both seen and heard to be fully appreciated.
'Godlessly' moves into faster thrash metal territory with some eye-popping speedy riffs, double bass triplets, and nifty tremolo-picking work, while Strnad screams like an angry hawk presiding over the mix. 'Removal Of The Oaken State' is one of the album standouts, a frenzy of melodic speed metal, twin guitar harmonies, and throat-shredding brutality. The demonic 'Child of Night' involves some rumbling bass, screaming pinch harmonics, machine-gun drum beats, a scintillating lead guitar solo and some tasteful vocal layering.
'Sunless Empire' features a stomping leviathan of a bass-heavy riff, some harsh screams and growls that tumble on top of each other, before another scorching melodic guitar solo melts our brains with its virtuosic hammer-ons and pull-offs. 'The Leather Apron's Scorn' contains probably the most stomach-twisting growls heard yet, while the guitars keep up their full-tilt chugging intensity, before breaking into all-out speed assault mode. The off-beat time signature, chromatic scales, and whammy bar dive bombs are another special feature on this beast of a track.
'How Very Dead' uses some tasty Phrygian mode licks before the relentless down-tuned six-string bombardment of our senses continues, with Trevor Strnad showcasing some growling work that would have made Cannibal Corpse proud.
The interestingly-titled 'The Wereworm's Feast' starts off with a high-octane guitar lead right from the get-go, before descending into melodic thrashcore metal territory as the panned vocal shrieks add an interesting dynamic to the sound — there's yet another blistering lead guitar solo on this one, and the deliriously crazed ending of this song makes it another album standout.
'A Womb in Dark Chrysalis (Interlude)' offers us a brief respite from the pummeling, throwing us a curveball with some beautifully cinematic and darkly melodic acoustic guitar. Then it's back to business to usual, as the album closer 'Dawn Of Rats' threatens to knock our teeth out with its heaviness, speed, and immensity — it's the perfect death metal anthem, completed by a spine-tingling guitar solo and the sounds of approaching rats heralding the incoming infestation.
Reflecting on the finished record, frontman Trevor Strnad said, "it's a very colorful, moody, and charismatic album that experiments with new sounds and ideas without losing the cutthroat Black Dahlia edge. There is a lot of minutiae to digest. Plenty of delicious little Easter eggs woven into the fabric of each song. Each one is a living, breathing entity that will stand on its own as some of the best music this band has ever created."
All in all, this album contains some urgent, visceral, melodic, technically-demanding compositions that pulverizes your eardrums while taking a soldering iron to your brain — and I mean that as a huge compliment. This is remarkably brutal stuff, and the band should be proud of their latest efforts.