THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - Servitude LP (Black Vinyl)

The Black Dahlia Murder has developed a reputation over the past few decades as one of the leading melodic death metal bands in modern extreme metal. From Miasma to Nocturnal to Everblack, the band’s run of high-quality melodeath that appeals to a broader audience is truly something to behold. Very few bands can capture some semblance of mainstream appeal while maintaining these levels of aggression and extremity.

But TBDM has been doing this for years. Their tenth full-length, Servitude is yet another all-out ambush with dynamic, claustrophobic drumming and a spinning wheel of pummeling guitar riffs. As for the vocals, Brian Eschbach steps in to fill the shoes of the legendary Strnad, relinquishing his guitar duties to former guitarist Ryan Knight. Staying relatively in-house for these lineup changes pays dividends on this album, because the band overcomes the change of frontman like it’s nothing. The identity of the band is still spectacularly clear on Servitude.

I don’t know if Servitude is a better album than Verminous, the band’s most recent album prior to this one. What I do know is that they weathered the storm of their singer dying about as well as you could, and the melodeath community is all the better for it. This is a strong album with plenty of refreshinf spins on the formula that has never failed the band. Whether they’re mid-tempo or all-out, the motto has always been to kick ass, and they do a damn good job on this new record.