BLACK DAHLIA MURDER GUITARIST QUITS, BECAUSE… UM… WHY?
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 12:41pm by Axl RosenbergJohn Kempainen, lead guitar player for The Black Dahlia Murder, has quit the band just days before the start of their tour with Misery Index and Soilent Green. The band will still do the tour, only as a four piece. I’m glad that BDM care enough about their fans to soldier on, but the idea of that band as a four piece totally bums me out; for one thing, half the fun of listening to BDM is in the interplay between Kempainen and co-guitarist Brian Eschbach, and for another thing, I always really loved Kempainen’s guitar solos (which I assume Eschbach will now play in at least some capacity.). In fact, I’ve written a love letter to this guitar duo in the past.
In a statement, vocalist Trevor Strnad says that Kempaninen’s decision was “abrupt” and that “The remaining members of the band apologize for these unprofessional circumstances.” No actual reason is given for Kempainen’s departure.
I’m actually listening to one of my favorite Kempainen solos right now, from the track “Deathmask Divine,” and it’s just making me sadder that he’s not in the band anymore. I would assume there’s more to this story, which will come out in due time. While we wait, here’s a pretty decent quality clip of BDM and Kempainen in better times, playing my favorite love song of 2007, “Deathmask Divine.”
-AR
It’s a shame, I really liked some his solos, there are more technical players out there but his were always catchy. And Deathmask Divine is a good example of this I think. Hope they’re back to a five piece before I see them in February.
If you look up derivative in the dictionary, you will see a picture of this band. You will also find this tired analogy. What? Fuck you. One of the worst lead guitar tones I’ve ever heard.
You want guitar soloing? Listen to Coroner’s Tommy T. Baron. The solos on Mental Vortex will blow your feeble metalcore minds out of your skulls.
epic fail. way to bounce from one of the more prolific bands of this age. BDM will get along fine w/ out you, although your fans will have to do without on this tour.
you sir, have made better decisions.
hopefully i won’t be eating those words when they release their next album.
I love it when guitar players leave bands that have actually “made it” in the scene.
What the fuck is he going to do now just be a studio guitarist?
Wow, you people really are clueless. You make it sound as if he’s living off of his band’s music, which I highly doubt. Just because they are written about a lot in magazines and have music videos, that doesn’t mean that BDM are nearly popular enough to use their music as a day job, let alone to say they’ve “made it.” Have you ever toured in a band? Do you realize how strenuous that is, especially if you’re not financially sound in doing so? The man gave 3 albums worth of great riffs and solos to a great band, and maybe he just couldn’t take it any more. I wish him the best of luck, and I hope the band finds someone even sicker to replace him.
@Joe: Amen. Though not relevant here. But Amen all the same. Coroner for life.
Shit this sucks. In the credits for Nocturnal it says “All music by Brian and TBDM,” so it seems to me that the main creative force is Brian and Trevor. So i don’t think this is really devastating. I dont think the overall sound of the band will suffer, but John obviously had some input on the records so this is still not cool. As long as Trevor is still rocking a sweet Metal Gut and throwing down awesome wiggerish arm movements at shows i will still love this band. Hopefully John comes back though.
He difinitely had a unique style that contributed to a great sound and a great band. When I first heard deathmask divine I couldnt help but put it on heavy rotation for a long while. BDM is sick.
I am seeing this tour in Friday, I plan on getting lots of video of it. Kind of a bummer, but oh well.
Glad I got to see these guys before all this. They were incredible live
I’ve seen then live a few times, and well, they’re generic. BUT THEY MAKE CATCHY MUSIC. They proved it with the release of the same album THREE TIMES, just changing things a very little bit, you know, like the title. But yeah, even though I may be hating a bit, I was pleased with Nocturnal’s slight signs of progressing their sound.
Should we all be losing sleep over this? Nope. They’ll find someone else. He wasn’t even a founding member if I’m correct.
Hey, maybe they can get Johann Norman or John Swetsloot from Dissection. Match made in heaven, right?
For fuck sake, i really hope my favorite band doesnt go down the shitter now.
fuck, makes me want to curb stomp an emo kid…
i heard everyone who quit this band was because brian is a huge dickhead and is in it for as much money as he can get.
this is some bullshit.
i’ve been waiting for their next cd for days.
@ brieo: I would be too. But thats after I write quality music I feel good about.
@ joe and amy: Agree with you guys about Coroner, fucking mindblowing. How come we never hear about them on Metalsucks?
But Kempaninen was a goddamn fine guitarist and I really, REALLY have to wonder about what happened here. I mean, you never hear a press release bitchslap like this: “The remaining members of the band apologize for these unprofessional circumstances.” Usually it’s all “amicable” this and “best of luck” that. Shit must have gone down.
And super props to BDM for going on with this. I have seen these guys live three times now and they fucking bring it hard, and I am glad they are dedicated to the point of continuing with one guitarist rather than being pussies about it. 1,000,000 points, guys. I’m going to keep buying your CDs, rather than switching to illegally downloading them.
John Kempainen ……. will be missed…..
TBDM sadly enough will go on. i loved each drummer theyve gotten after one leaving….
theyve always seemed tofind a better replacement…. but man… i gotta say… this hits hard…. his style, and general love of music…. every single time ive seen them he’s having fun on stage and as a result you can feel the vibe…. bleh….i feel an epic FFFFFFUUUUUUUU picture is in order… but im too depressed to make one :( i will always love TBDM…. “Forever…. FOREEEEVVEEERRR”
Saw them a few months ago in between Children of Bodom and Between the Buried and Me, and holy shit what a snoozefest. I couldn’t tell if they actually played multiple songs or if it was just one long song of deathcore badness. Luckily Cob and Btbab totally killed so i just spent the half hour that bdm was onstage drinking a lot.
dthrasher is a fuckin idiot.
BDM annihilates children of bodom and their shitty dance keyboards, they would fail miserably without laiho. Can’t say anyhing bad about between the buried and me….so i agree they are sick as fuck. But seriously, trevor got fucking filthy with his highs on nocturnal and the album cover alone overshadows all BTBAM and COB covers…if you care about oldschool vinylcover pride shit like that….
they slay, seein’ em tonite.
john is good. i love his sound and originallity. its not mind bendingly complex but it flows greatly and always fits the bill perfect. i really hope to him return one day… i hope its some personal/familly stuff. but if not they always improve apon the previous.
after all they did pick up Shannon Lucus!
keep shreadin