NOT QUITE A REVIEW OF 40% OF THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’S DEFLORATE
Friday, August 21st, 2009 at 11:00am by Axl Rosenberg
Yesterday Metal Blade sent out a digital sampler containing four of the ten songs which will appear on The Black Dahlia Murder’s upcoming Deflorate (out September 15). While this obviously isn’t nearly enough to write any sort of credible review, I did want to give my thoughts on what we’ve now heard.
(Quick note: the four tracks in question are “Necropolis,” “A Selection Unnatural,” “Denounced, Disgraced,” and “Throne of Lunacy.” We’ve actually heard two of these songs before in some form or another – the band has been playing “Necropolis” live all summer, and streaming “A Selection Unnatural” for over a month. Still, this is the first time we’ve gotten to hear the studio version of “Necropolis,” so 75% of the included material still feels new.)
We interviewed BDM vocalist Trever Strnad at Mayhem two weeks ago. Vince (very cleverly, in my opinion) asked Strnad to describe Deflorate without using the words “better” or “heavier.” The irony is that these four tracks suggest that Deflorate will, in fact, be The Black Dahlia Murder’s heaviest release to date.
But Strnad rose to the challenge and said that the band were now “more accomplished” musicians, and he’s right – these four songs also suggest that Deflorate will be the band’s most technical album yet. That might be why my initial reaction to “A Selection Unnatural” wasn’t quite ecstatic; these aren’t really songs you can just have on in the background and still get stuck in your head, the way, say, “Deathmask Divine” is. They demand more of your attention. BDM haven’t made radical changes to their sound, because they’re not that kind of band – they seemed more focused on evolving by way of getting better at what they already do, not by making radical shifts in their basic template – but it definitely took me a few spins of these songs to get into the flow of things. And three or four listens in, I started to fall pretty hard for these new tracks.
How much does new lead guitarist Ryan Knight have to do with the direction of this material? Strnad was emphatically insistent that the band is already happier with Knight than they were with his predecessor, John Kempainen (of whom I personally was a big fan), but I don’t have enough of a sense of the songwriting process within BDM to know what the differences (if any) of the contributions from Knight or Kempainen are/were. I will say this: Knight shares Kempainen’s fine sense of balance between shred and structure, and that’s about where the similarities between the two guitarists end. Knight’s guitar tone is far warmer than Kempainen’s ever was, and his playing is far more fluid; if Kempainen’s fingers danced along the fretboard, than Knight’s seems to glide up and down it. But the time he ended his solo on “Lunacy” (so far my favorite of the new songs) with a dive-bomb, any fears I had for the loss of Kempainen were completely erased. (Of course, Knight’s former status as guitarist for Arsis pretty much always suggested that those fears would be unfounded.)
So while it’s possible that the other six songs on the album will suck, I find these four tracks to be really encouraging. We should get to hear the rest of Deflorate before Labor Day. I can’t wait.
-AR
Technicals great, but does that lead to awesome. Not always. Scared these guys are going to get in over their heads.
I’m just hoping their trend of even numbered albums not being quite so good (ala Miasma) doesn’t continue with this. Sounds like it won’t. Not a huge Arsis fan, but Knight can rip.
They’ve released 3 fucking albums. How is one album a trend? I also loved Miasma, so I don’t know what you’re thinking.
Miasma is sick.
I found Miasma to be a complete rehash of Unhallowed. I’m not saying it sucked, in fact I liked it a lot. BDM happens to be one of my favorite American death metal bands and I hold them to a pretty high standard… so even though I may be jumping the gun, I’m essentially just saying that I hope Deflorate doesn’t let down from Nocturnal like Miasma let down from Unhallowed (for me at least.)
Well I heard Miasma first, the store I got CD’s from didnt have unhallowed. So that may be why I like it so much.
There wasn’t too much of a change in sound between Unhallowed and Miasma, but there was between Miasma and Nocturnal, which may be what you’re describing. Fortunately for you, I think there might end out being a bit of change between Nocturnal and Deflorate.
Yeah, that’s kinda what I’m hoping for more or less. Nocturnal was their heavies album. Now I’d like to see a more experimental, technical album… something to make their sound progress.
It;s guaranteed that all 10 will be awful scene crap.
Oh brother,not this shit again!
That was exactly my thought when I heard that TBDM had a new album coming out.
Call ‘em whatever you want; I call ‘em awesome. And I am not a part of any ’scene’.
Maybe Ziltard can do his own review when he takes over for a day. It will be his moment to bash all music that actually *gasp* sells a few records.
And it’ll be everyone else’s day to bash whatever he decides to talk about.
Right on!
Ziltoid, you don’t seem to like metal very much. Get the fuck off this site. I’m sure there’s some hip-hop blog site for you
Well said, if he knocks every single band that the site posts about, what does he listen to? And he also says he doesn’t like the ‘ groove’. I think that statement means that he doesn’t like ‘music’.
I like metal, but his site chooses to rarely post any good metal. And Brutalizer, I’ve listed numerous times what I listen to. Go to Axl’s best of 09 so far post and look it up if you’re so interested. And if you think that groove = music, then you’re just a moron. Groove is often an oversimplification of the rhythm section just to sound “heavy” and “brutal.” Just look at Pantera, or any nu metal band that rips them off.
If you don’t like groove you are a moron. What is it you like about metal then. You probobly listen to shitty ass bands like bulb.
What kind ass-backwards musical aesthetic disdains a groove. Sounds to me like your sensitbilities are such that complexity + obscurity = music. Complexity can be cool, but in my opinion if you can make something simple and effective then you’ve really accomplished something. I think Pantera did just that, and I think a lot of there imitators learned that it isn’t always easy to replicate something that is seemingly simple. You use phrases like “just look at Pantera,” but you don’t explain what we are supposed to be looking for. What is so inherently bad about Pantera that we are supposed to automatically take them as the paradigm of suck when you drop their name?
Complexity is only good if it’s not ‘weedly weedly’.
(No, I don’t know the difference.)
The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band. The Black Dahlia Murder is not a “scene” band.
Get it?
I can’t wait to see what bands you will suggest when you’ll be editing for a day.
I love you.
ziltoid, ziltoid i wish you didn’t diminish that name.
’scene crap’. shit man. we listen to metal to not be a part of a particular “scene”. sure tbdm is popular in metal today, but like what eyal said in his blog, metal is still a small small part of the music industry in general. sure there are ’scenes’ in metal that i don’t like either, but you’re the other end of the spectrum: know-it-all smug metal douche bag. no one wants to talk or hang out with you cause you’re too esoteric. anyways. tbdm is a good band with rippin songs so it attracts many people in metal. there are also numerous people that don’t like tbdm. fine. just say so. don’t diminish our genre by calling respectable bands ’scene crap’, save that connotation for the crappy core-emo kids.
But the point is that TBDM is not respectable. Btw, you mentioning the word “esoteric” made me remember the band Esoteric. Creepy as fuck doom metal, with most of their albums for free download on their websites. The Maniacal Vale was an excellent album.
Esoteric is great!
OK, finish this phrase: “But the point is that TBDM is not respectable BECAUSE…”
I would sooner be a scene douche than someone who clearly has shit taste in music.
Those are both the same thing.
And you fit the moulds for both!!!
Ziltiod can say whatever he wants. Its a free country. I still think he has shit taste in music.
Scene crap? Don’t all bands belong to some sort of “scene?” I think that the new BDM will be alright. By the way Is the fat guy sitting on the throne Dino?
No, it’s the … thing from the funny caption competition.
that thing still creeps the shit out me
cant wait for this record to come out. and i love the cover. it looks like it came out straight out of the late 80’s.
Makes me think of if Toad from Mario bros rose to power in the future and shocked the shit out of Mario cause he was always boning Peach.
…. Never any love for the fungus…
Yooo I dont get y u make fun of fat people I love BBW and thats the shit, now back to subject.. BDM will kick some sirius ass with this new album =)
There is no band that is more fun.
bbw are yummy
Sounds like I’ll like this version of TBDM a lot more, even though i enjoyed Nocturnal quite throughly.
Also, Ziltoid, I can understand when people call bands like Job For a Cowboy or Whitechapel scene crap, but have you ever heard TBDM? It’s about as straight up modern melodic death metal you’ll get with out traveling out of the U.S.
I think it should be a solid album, I really liked Noctural!
does anybody remember the knife trade??? they did a split w/ throught the eyes of the dead. that ryan’s old band ( the knife trade). but i’m pretty sure this will shred.
I seriously can not understand how this is scene. I don’t know why bdm gets so much shit because they are a legit metal band. End of story. Ziltoid, you have no friends, no one likes you, and your parents don’t love you.
Also, you’re adopted. Surprise!
Calling something “scene” is as old as the “scene” itself. Its just music, listen to it or don’t.
The new BDM im sure will be awesome.
TBDM are awful.
where can i find these 4 songs?
This.
Sandwiches you are awesome!
Ziltoid proves once again he’s an elitist scum bag. I’d like to hear one thing about the BDM’s music that makes them “scene”. They’re not wearing girl’s jeans, they’re not playing breakdowns every 4 measures, they’re not clean singing, they’re not crab walking.
Is it because they are popular with metalheads in america? is that it, you elitist douchebot?
That’s pretty much it. That, and he doesn’t like them.
well that makes sense.
if Zilty doesn’t like it, then it’s “scene”
Is Dystopia “scene”, too?
Ziltiods mom must be scene too, because everyone in america likes her too.
ive heard the whole cd, and it rips, dont worry there is tons of melody and the cd is not nearly as “technical” as everyone is saying. its nothing like necrophagist or that sort of stuff. a selection unnatural is deff the oddball track on the cd. people are going to be very pleasantly suprised.
I’m just wondering, where exactly did you hear this? I’ve been all over the net looking for leaks and torrents, but can’t find any!
I pre-ordered the album to get the DVD and signed copy, but I still want to download it before I get it in the mail.
Can’t fucking wait…
so fucking stoked for this. might be the cd of the year for me.
Judging by some of the first comments in this thread, I guess I’m the odd man out in thinking that there was a huge difference between the sounds of Unhallowed and Miasma. Unfortunately, I can’t pinpoint what it was…maybe the scales they were playing in or whatever…but to me, it was just completely different. And then there was a huge difference in the sounds of Nocturnal and Miasma. Nocturnal just went full-blown polished and pleasing-to-the-ear melodic death metal and quickly became my favorite album of theirs. I can’t wait for Deflorate so I can dive back into the “scene” with my tight girl-pants and long straightened hair over one of my eyes. Oh wait…I’m not like that. I’m just an average guy who enjoys some badass melodic death metal!
I think the difference between unhallowed and miasma was that unhallowed was way more at the gates esque while miasma was a bit slower in tempo and contained more “buzzsaw” riffs so to speak. I thought it lacked a little bit of the energy/urgency that unhallowed had. I think they brought that back with nocturnal, which I found to be a perfect combination of the 2 sounds. Regardless I am very excited to see what they bring to the table with deflorate. Oh yeah suck it ziltoid. Fall off of a cliff asap. For everyones sake.
Could you tell me what buzzsaw riffs are? I’ve never heard that term before, although I play guitar. I couldn’t find any definition online either…just sites using the term. And do you know what type of scale they are playing most of the songs on Miasma in? Way back around the time when it came out, someone on a message board I was on identified the name of the scales in explaining what it was that made it sound so different.
But yeah, Nocturnal was definitely a perfect combination of the sounds of the previous albums. You can hear it in every aspect of the music, perhaps most obviously in the vocals. Trevor really perfected his lows. And whereas the highs on Unhallowed were raspy and then more high-pitched and “screamy” on Miasma, he brought them to a perfect medium on Nocturnal. After listening to the 30-second clips from Deflorate, I am pleased that he seems to be continuing to evolve his vocals. Not only does he have highs and lows, but he does some mids too. What I really like is how towards the end of the 30-second clip of “That Which Erodes Most Tender,” he starts in a low and steadily brings it up higher and higher into his high. It’s pretty awesome sounding!
The key (scale) they use a lot in Miasma is Phrygian Dominant. Makes it sound sort of Egyptian. It’s also what Through the Eyes of the Dead uses almost exclusively on their new CD. Miasma didn’t ONLY have this scale, but a ton of the riffs were indeed in that scale. Anything that sounds Egyptian or Middle Eastern on that CD lets you know it’s in that key. But I always saw Unhallowed and Miasma as very different sounding CDs. Unhallowed sounded way more catchy and upbeat, whereas Miasma was trying to be darker. Certain tracks on each cd broke that pattern, but that’s still just how I always saw those two cds.
And I always saw buzzsaw as a description of tonal quality of an amp. As in, comparing a Mesa Triple Rec (which has more buzzsaw chugs) to a 5150 which is smooth.
Got it on pre-order. This may well be album of the year for me. Fucking incredible band.
Phrigyan Dominant! That’s it! Thanks a lot! I’ve been trying to remember what it was off and on for a few years now lol.
*Phrygian
the full album leaked i got it from isohunt