The Black Dahlia Murder | Ritual
by Cyndi Jo
Staff Writer
There’s always those bands that make you feel somewhat special because you walk around your high school with that specific band shirt, thinking you’re the coolest kid since the Fonz. Then, you graduate, move on with your life, and totally forget about them until they hit you in the face with the possibly the best experimental album in their discography.
The Black Dahlia Murder have continued to release adequate records since their
debut in 2003(to say the least) — but their latest, Ritual, sets the standard in all that is melodic death metal.
Beginning the album with “A Shrine to Madness,” The Black Dahlia Murder ignites the album with the use of orchestrated strings, which is a first for the band. Acoustic strings are also featured on the last song “Blood in the Ink” at a much broader range, that only concludes the album with excellency. Speaking of acoustics, the piano in “Carbonized in Cruciform” sets the tone for The Black Dahlia Murder overall thematic approach: a frightening sense to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up while enjoying the awesome blast beats.
The influence of bands such as At The Gates and Carcass is surely showed in the track “Conspiring with the Damned.” The technicality of the riffs by new guitarist Ryan Knight and Brian Eschbach, have The Black Dahlia Murder definitely swimming in their own traditional pool of melodic harmonies with a hint of thrash. Also, “The Melodic” brings the right amount of traditional The Black Dahlia Murder melody. A crowd favorite will most definitely be “Malenchantments of the Necrosphere,” which is at best an under-tuned sensational track worth listening to.
Bottom line, if your kid starts wearing a Black Dahlia Murder shirt again that hasn’t been worn for a really long time, Ritual is to blame. Clearly, it’s an album worth listening, worth buying, and worth embracing. The Ritual might even attract audiences that might not have not attracted in the past.
Band:
Brian Eschbach (g)
Trevor Strand (v)
Ryan Williams (b)
Shannon Lucas (d)
Ryan Knight (g)
Track Listing
1. A Shrine to Madness
2. Moonlight Equilibrium
3. On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood
4. Conspiring with the Damned
5. The Window
6. Carbonized in Cruciform
7. Den of the Picquerist
8. Malenchanments of the Necrosphere
9. The Grave Robber’s Work
10. The Raven
11. Great Burning Nullifier
12. Blood in the Ink
Label: Metal Blade
Web site: myspace.com/theblackdahliamurder
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.8/10