Servitude - The Black Dahlia Murder
Can they carry the torch without Trevor Strnad?
The metal community was dealt a major blow with the death of The Black Dahlia Murder’s frontman, Trevor Strnad, and many were curious where the band would go after such an event. When they made the announcement to continue with founding member Brian Eschbach moving onto lead vocals, I was tentatively excited and hopeful for the future. Taking Eschbach’s place on rhythm guitar is returning member Ryan Knight, paired alongside Brandon Ellis on lead guitar. The remainder of the band is composed of Max Lavelle on bass and Alan Cassidy on drums, meaning that they sidestepped the woes of a newcomer filling in for a longtime vocalist via restructuring within the “family”.
Given that Eschbach is taking the helm from the band’s longtime frontman, he was easily the part I was most nervous about going into the album despite his long history with the group. Luckily, he fills the role amazingly well, able to provide familiar gutturals and shrieks without overshadowing his predecessor. His high screams have more rasp to them akin to Strnad’s vocals on Unhallowed, while Eschbach’s lows often have more “tongue” in them, making them sound wetter and a little less decipherable than Strnad’s dry grunts.
One of my favorite tracks on the album is the early single “Aftermath”, which weaves a tale of the Earth ending and the resulting panic and societal collapse with an off-kilter main riff and crushing interludes. While not the first song on the album, this first single certainly sets the tone for the album. Another favorite is the title track, which is a grotesque depiction of being tortured and clinging to information about the arrival of some kind of army. Knowing the usual content of their songs and the mentions of a “blackened son”, it is very likely something demonic in nature, allowing Eschbach’s writing to fall in neatly with the discography he’s already so well-acquainted with.
Speaking of, this is easily the best transition into a new (“new”) frontman I’ve seen, and Eschbach deserves every bit of praise and then some for somehow managing to adapt Strnad’s style into his own without outright copying him. Many bands attempt to recapture that old flame or lean too heavily on the new sounds a new vocalist offers, and I feel that The Black Dahlia Murder are able to sidestep this with an old face, a consistent sound, and a torch that doesn’t flicker even in death. It’s almost fitting that a band who screams of zombies and ghouls wouldn’t waver when faced with such a hurdle.
Tracks like “Asserting Dominion” channel the faster grooves of Miasma, while “Cursed Creator” is a less successful reminder of lumbering tracks like “Contagion” or “Into The Everblack”.
The biggest, if only major issue with the record is a lack of momentum. Many songs will start off with blistering paces, but settle into a midpace groove that Nightbringers regularly broke up and Verminous struggled with. It is not present on the entire album, but tracks like “Asserting Dominion” unfortunately allow this issue to rear its head. Another disappointing addition is “Mammoth’s Hand”, which has the inexplicable inability to hold my attention for too long aside from the gorgeous solo.
The most important thing to note in this review is that The Black Dahlia Murder are not known for their experimentation. While I don’t think it’s nearly as egregious as a band like AC/DC, listening to a new TBDM release is like visiting your favorite restaurant again. Now, with a new vocalist at the helm, it’s as though they changed brands of ketchup without you knowing. It’s not a notable improvement or downgrade, but a sidestep. I personally love this new brand of ketchup, but I also loved the old brand and the basket of fries that accompany it. I hope that even with new ingredients, I will get more of this in the near future.
Best Song / Worst Song
Servitude / Cursed Creator