ALBUM REVIEW: Servitude – The Black Dahlia Murder

Following the tragic, untimely death of Trevor Strnad in early 2022, there was (naturally) a question of whether THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER could continue, with his instantly-recognisable voice and lyricism being a trademark part of their sound. The band had no such doubts, saying in a statement they knew Strnad would’ve wanted them to keep going, so Brian Eschbach swapped his guitar for the mic and former guitarist Ryan Knight rejoined the band in Eschbach’s spot. That desire to keep it in house and honour Strnad’s memory has led to tenth album Servitude and if there were any doubts, let them be quelled.

From the first single Aftermath it was very apparent that in spite of such tragedy, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER were up to their old, beloved tricks. Every single track on Servitude is exactly what fans have come to expect from the band – no mean feat given the circumstances. While there’s obviously no replacing such a voice as Strnad’s, Eschbach comes remarkably close and keeps TBDM’s blend of high shrieks and gutturals intact easily. The most remarkable thing about Servitude is that it continues THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s renowned level of consistency throughout, and does so with a huge grin on its face.

Opener Evening Ephemeral is a razor-sharp storm of blast beats, frantic melodeath riffs and occasional menacing slow downs that let the next bout of blasts induce near whiplash. Panic Hysteric is true to its name, a charging bull of a song that’s unrelenting in its intensity. There’s just as many screaming, trad metal solos that even flirt with power metal at times, duelling lines straight from the IRON MAIDEN playbook like on the aforementioned Aftermath with its searing solo that is sat between two blistering melodeath passages. They even up the groove with Cursed Creator, its rapid double-kicks sure to incite more than a few pits.

The placement of the halfway interlude is a welcome respite, but it also lets the band tee up for one of the record’s strongest statements in Asserting Dominance. Squealing guitars are woven between Eschbach’s commanding tone without ever overwhelming the mix; Alan Cassidy’s drumming flips between cascading fills and understated but no less excellent work that propels the song forward. Second (and final – something else that deserves applause for not releasing half the album in advance) single Mammoth’s Hand signals how THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER push their own envelope even now, its arpeggiated open leading to one of the tightest, most fun tracks on the album, with towering melody and staccato riffing aplenty.

Part of what makes Servitude so compelling is that, while not necessarily hitting the same heights as they have in the past, it doesn’t try to; instead, it simply sets out to be a great THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER record. They could’ve rested on their not-insignificant laurels, but instead keeping their “new” lineup in the THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER family has reinvigorated them. Knight’s playing is as taut as ever, while Eschbach is a commanding, venomous presence and never feels like a hollow recreation of Strnad. Servitude is anything but; it reaffirms their place as one of melodeath’s greatest, most consistent bands.

Rating: 8/10

Servitude is set for release on September 27th via Metal Blade Records.

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