The Black Dahlia Murder

Miasma (Metal Blade)
by Ari M. Joffe

I first heard about this band a few years ago from a friend of mine’s older brother. Back in the day, this guy was one of the first ‘heads in the area to get into all the good stuff: Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Eyehategod, etc. We were talking about some of the best modern bands on the scene, and he started raving about The Black Dahlia Murder, saying they were the closest thing to the old school as he’d heard in years.

So I was psyched to get this release for review. I can see what the dude was talking about. These guys play super aggressive, frenzied, black metal. They have a very polished, melodic sound that infuses tons of neo-classical guitar lines in between the constant, drill-core drumming and screeching vocals.

My only complaint is that the chaotic riffing tends to blur from one song into the next a bit too much for my tastes. But when they slow things down and let the songs breathe, like on “Miscarriage,” that’s when they really hit their stride.
(www.metalblade.com)