The Black Dahlia Murder | |
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The Black Dahlia Murder in 2014. Clockwise starting from top left: vocalist Trevor Strnad, bassist Max Lavelle, lead guitarist Ryan Knight and rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach.
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Background information | |
Origin | Waterford, Michigan, United States |
Genres | Melodic death metal, death metal |
Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | Metal Blade |
Associated acts | Abigail Williams |
Website | www |
Members |
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Past members | See members section |
The Black Dahlia Murder is an American death metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. The band currently comprises vocalist Trevor Strnad, guitarists Brian Eschbach and Brandon Ellis, drummer Alan Cassidy, and bassist Max Lavelle. Out of the seven studio albums they have released to date, the last six of them have charted on the U.S. Billboard 200, with their fifth album Ritual peaking at No. 31 in 2011, marking them as one of the most popular contemporary American extreme metal bands. Their latest album, Abysmal, was released on September 18, 2015.
The Black Dahlia Murder began its inception during late 2000 and gained the final band line-up in January 2001. The group released their demo entitled What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, and a four-track EP, A Cold-Blooded Epitaph, the latter of which the group released on Lovelost Records. After appearing in concerts such as the Milwaukee Metal Fest, The Black Dahlia Murder signed to Metal Blade Records in 2003.
Current bassist Ryan "Bart" Williams left his former band, Detroit's Today I Wait, to tour with the Black Dahlia Murder. After touring with the band on their co-headlining gig with Throwdown and their European dates with Liar, he joined the group full-time, replacing former bassist David Lock. Frontman Trevor Strnad said that Lock was fired for incompetency. Williams was one of two engineers (the other being Walls of Jericho's Mike Hasty) on the band's first full-length album, Unhallowed.
The band's second album Miasma was released on July 12, 2005 and peaked at No. 118 on the Billboard 200. After touring for Miasma, drummer Zach Gibson left the band along with Pierre Langlois. While Gibson went on to join Abigail Williams, Langlois left the band for a more secure lifestyle, and the band finished their search for a replacement drummer when they found former All That Remains drummer, Shannon Lucas. The group played at Ozzfest 2005.