There are a few bands that arise out of the multitudes of great artists that we consume in our ever-increasing metal space, that truly capture our attention, and define an era of our own metal story. I remember going through my early Metallica/Megadeth/Iron Maiden phase, then my Children of Bodom/Norther melodeath era, then Bullet For My Valentine/As I Lay Dying metalcore era, then my Periphery/Veil of Maya progressive metal era, and finally into my Inferi/Shadow of Intent/Lorna Shore technical death metal/deathcore phase. In this last era, Detroit’s The Black Dahlia Murder is a name that shoots right to the top of the list. A genre definer, a genre celebrator, a titan that has straddled the lines of At The Gates melodeath and the nouveau brutality of later deathcore, with just enough technical pizzazz to earn the respect of all three genre fans.

One of the most consistent bands in the scene today, The Black Dahlia Murder could be relied on to put out one banger record after another every 2 to 3 years. The last of which, Verminous came to us in the midst of the global pandemic in 2020. A record I reviewed favorably HERE, but I worried about the future of the veteran band in a landscape where the envelope of tech melodeath was expanding at an exponential rate. While I enjoyed Verminous it lacked some of the teeth that were felt on the absolutely fantastic Nightbringers.

However, all of this progress would come crashing down with the tragic passing of vocalist and founder Trevor Strnad sending shockwaves of grief throughout the modern metal world, and calling the future of the band into justifiable question. With the loss of a cornerstone member, any move by the band could have been seen in poor light. The decision to cherish his memory by moving forward by inviting former members back into the band was received with relieving positivity, and so he we are, in a sad post-Trevor world, but optimistic with the release of 2024’s Servitude.

Right off the bat, let me say that I am glad that Servitude exists. It was the right move. That said, there will always be a bittersweet flavor to the record. Thankfully, the rest of the lads put their best feet forward and pushed out the best material they could given the circumstances.

Kicking things off, with the eerily whimsical guitar lude over crashing waves, the record starts off with “Evening Ephemeral”, a hefty track with a verse riff reminiscent of their Nocturnal era, and we already know we are in safe hands. Raising the tempo, we dive right into “Panic Hysteric”. This is TBDM at its finest, with razor-sharp high-octane melodic riffs over breakneck drum lines and pumping bass. The single “Aftermath” was an important track for the band as it was the first single of this new era, and fans were holding their collective breaths to see where this new era would lead. Fortunately, “Aftermath” is a certified slapper. Even with the slowdown in “Aftermath” to usher in the more grandiose virtuosic solos, the momentum of the track keeps up. In contrast, the low register tremolo-picked intro riff to “Cursed Creator” is straight Ritual era Black Dahlia (particularly “On Seas of Salted Blood” and “Mechanaments of the Necrosphere”). With more catchy riffs at high BPM, the first half of Servitude is shaping up great.

An acoustic evil ballad (an evillad?) later, and we are back to business, this time with the thrashy “Asserting Dominion”. The title track “Servitude” may just be among the most technically involved guitarwork has graced the Black Dahlia catalog with absolutely savage riffs, chordwork, and solos showcasing the band at its songwriting best. An expected slowdown to show their more melodic craftiness appears with their other released single “Mammoth’s Hand”. I prefer my Dahlia’s black and murderous, so this track fell to the bottom of the pile, but I understand the need for the record to be allowed to breathe. But the blade is back out with more savagery in “Transcosmic Blueprint” and the aptly blackened homage, and album closer “Utopia Black”. While I feared that Verminous leaned too much into the gritty grimy nostalgia of OSDM, I am glad that Servitude brings us right back into modern tech melodeath territory, and this is the version of TBDM I’ve most enjoyed.

The Black Dahlia Murder needed a roster shakeup to fill the universe-shaped void left behind by founding vocalist Trevor Strnad. The decision to move his longtime confidant, and fellow band founder and rhythm guitarist Brian Esbach to sole vocal duties was an interesting choice at the outset, but Esbach does a great job to fill shoes that cannot truly be filled. While not nearly having the feral range of Strnad, Esbach does a great job of hitting the same stylistic notes to keep the band’s rudder straight and true, and his vocals fit in nicely with the ferocity of the music. His themes and lyrics also fit the TBDM mold. While very few lyricists in the entirety of metal can punch in the same ring when it comes to the dark poetry that was Trevor’s penmanship, Brian’s lyrics stay true to the spirit. Overall, this was the right move and he will only get more comfortable as he settles into the role in both the studio and live settings and bring his own signature style to future releases.

With the space left by Esbach on rhythm guitars, the decision to bring back Ryan Night (ex-Arsis, ex-The Knife trade, guitars on Ritual, Everblack, and Abysmal). Knight is no stranger to the Black Dahlia songwriting machine, but being pushed into a rhythm role or at least a shared soloist role added more lateral movement to the songwriting. As right there with him was lead guitarist, Brandon Ellis, who is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite modern metal guitarists. Ellis’ control over both the modern era of riffage blends with his almost academic control of neo-classical theory-laced solos bringing a lot of old-school thrash and heavy metal flair which many fans have celebrated on his work since Nightbringers. The Knight-Ellis wombo-combo takes TBDM songwriting into higher echelons.

Basswork courtesy of Max Levelle continues to be stellar, and his continued prominence in the mix is always well received. Interestingly enough, I felt that if there were any nits to pick, and there are very few with Servitude, it would be that drummer Alan Cassidy felt a wee bit restrained behind the kit. We know him to be able to be a blast fiend with the best, but much of that manic ferocity was missed on this record. There were several times on quicker tracks that I fully expected a blast-beat-laden section, to be left slightly wanting by Cassidy’s choice of drum lines. While in no way cohesive or inappropriate for the rest of the songwriting, I felt that the drumming could have been more “brutal” to elevate the general venom of the tracks. I fully admit my bias that chasing an ever-increasing high of the next brutal step in metal would be why I am struggling with this choice of restraint.

I am so glad that Servitude is an absolute heatseeker. It is exactly the record that The Black Dahlia Murder needed to release to give themselves the courage to forge forward and to reward fans for their unceasing faith in them. Long live The Black Dahlia Murder!