The Black Dahlia Murder – Everblack (2013)

Delivering one of the most surprisingly awesome albums of 2013, today we have The Black Dahlia Murder and their imposing release “Everblack”. We have long discarded this band as one of the vanilla Deathcore bands since their earlier days, but today we are shocked in the excellent quality and brutality behind their latest release. Mixing elements of Melodic/Technical Death Metal with some Deathcore influences, the band has managed to craft a very powerful and devastating sound of their own over the years.

Exploding with the technical “In Hell Is Where She Waits for Me”, the band immediately showcases their excellent mixture of melodic elements with brutal DM/Deathcore sections. The music is quite intense and makes you immediately want to start headbanging. “Goat of Departure” continues the riffing onslaught with catchy melodic sections and inhuman growls. The band’s sound has surely come a long way since their earlier stuff and they now sound like a million dollars.

Avoiding sounding stale, the band introduces different elements into their tracks to keep them more dynamic like the superb atmospheric keyboards of “Into The Everblack”. Guitarists Brian Eschbach and Ryan Knight deliver a top-notch combination of solos, chugging riffs, and intricate guitar sections that rival bands likes Hour of Penance and Obscura. Tracks like “Raped In Hatred by Vines of Thorn” and “Phantom Limb Masturbation” are clear epic singles that will immediately stand out from this release thanks to their crushing catchiness.

Not everything has to be complex and highly-technical, that is why we enjoy tracks like “Control” and “Blood Mine” that are more straightforward and direct. With an almost Black’n’Roll vibe, “Every Rope a Noose” is one of the oddly most interesting tracks in the release that shows the band under a different light. Our favorite track in this release is the intense “Their Beloved Absentee”. The band produces some excellent riffing on top of very tight drumming, courtesy of the band’s new drummer Alan Cassidy.

Closing with more brutality melodic brilliance with “Map of Scars”, The Black Dahlia Murder has managed to produce one of the most intense and technically excellent releases of 2013. We are in complete awe on how much they have evolved over time and how refined and brutal their music is now. Greatly aided by an impeccable production, Trevor Strnad are back with a vengeance with a release any metalhead should have in their collection.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: June 11th, 2013

Genre: Melodic Extreme Metal / Deathcore

Country: USA