SuppliedThe Black Dahlia Murder
Abysmal
Metal Blade Records
tbdmofficial.com
Under normal circumstances, when a band announces a seventh album, fans react to the news with a heavy helping of skepticism, topped with a healthy portion of cringe, and a heaping side of *sigh*. But when you’ve delivered six albums worth of fist-pump inducing, biceps-flexing, hair-windmill spinning bangerz like The Black Dahlia Murder have, it comes as no surprise when their newest release, Abysmal, is simply a master class in how to make a fucking good metal album.
Since their 2003 debut, Unhallowed, TBDM have been treating listeners to a new full-length record every two years like clockwork. This consistency, paired with their uncanny ability to produce album-of-the-year quality records with each release, not only makes this veteran group a staple in every death-metalhead’s music collection but also one of the most consistent musical acts working today, in any genre (step aside Taylor).
Abysmal is true to form for TBDM, following in the vain and vibe of their past releases (all the way back to seminal, fan-favourite, Nocturnal) but the boys tinker with their formulas and ingredients just enough to give listeners a slightly different result. On opener, “Receipt,” a short introduction of classical strings build tension before the flood gates are opened and you are barraged by heavily-distorted tremolos, lightning-quick drum strikes and a savagely groovy bass riff. As human-encyclopedia-of-metal, Trevor Strnad’s, vocals enter, all the parts come together to remind you of every reason why you loved the previous six albums, while simultaneously saying hold on to your butts, you’ve never heard Black Dahlia like this before!
Ferocious and fun, Abysmal is filled to the brim with the confidence of a team who has 100% bought into their own system. From the spot-on and utterly raw production of long-time producer Mark Lewis and former bassist Ryan “Bart” Williams, a production which perfectly matches TBDM’s epic live sound, to the tongue-in-cheek but poetically grisly lyrics (“Raise up he traitors, higher, higher. By order of rank then spark their funeral pyres”) The Black Dahlia Murder remind us on Abysmal why they leave fans hungry, not cringing when a new album is announced.
