The Black Dahlia Murder is an American death metal band from Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. The band currently comprises the co-founders vocalist Trevor Strnad and rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach, more recently added to the line-up bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and lead guitarist Brandon Ellis. I've became a fan of the band with the release of 2013's Everblack. An album that's a bit long but features some great songs. The two albums that followed are also very good. SO for the forth time in a row I've been looking forward to this one since 2017's Nightbringers.
As with the last two albums, Verminous is a straightforward metal album. It features 36 min of melo death metal in 10 songs, track 9 being an interlude into the closer "Dawn of Rats". All the other proper songs fluctuate around the 4-min mark. The album opens with the title track and first single, a a song that exemplifies their sound as we came to know it. From the get go we can hear that the production is one of the highlights. From the sample with water drops to how the two guitars are mixed, this album sounds quite amazing. I suggest to use headphones to catch all the nuances between the two guitars. The drumming doesn't take the central scene, but it's of high proficiency, several drum fills are excellent e.g. "Godlessly" or "How Very Dead". It's not a very bass oriented mix but you can still hear it when paying attention e.g. "Removal of the Oaken Stake". On this track, another Black Dahlia Murder trademark can be highlighted: the guitarwork. It is as always an impressive part of their sound that inexplicably continues to merge Death Metal with Malmsteen.
Soon enough as you listen to Verminous, one thing is clear it's less tech or brutal Death Metal influenced and more traditional metal and thrash metal influenced with hints of Black Metal. One of my personal favorites and a great example of it is the song "The Wereworm's Feast" which sounds a lot like Kreator. The mix of chugging guitars with melodic riffs and even Trevor's voice, they all combine to give this experience. Trevor is a very versatile extreme metal singer, this time around he relies much more on higher pitched vocals. But he also explores different styles like in the mentioned song or in "Godlessly". Another big highlight for me is "The Leather Apron's Scorn". It's build on this really nice groove and delivers a big chorus. The chugging guitars give more space for the bass ti shine. It's just all around a anthemic track. Finally you gotta love this fantastic artwork, so detailed and as with the last few albums, s dominant color given this horror film vibe. Within the genre of melodic death metal, there's not much to complain here. But purists may twitch there noses to the more traditional metal influences, but for me that's a big plus.
The most diverse and dynamic Black Dahlia Murder's album still screams their trademark sound but it also pushes the band's sound forward. As it is short with very distinct songs, you can listen through it in one go and not getting lost while enjoying every minute of it. Fans of not only Death Metal but also traditional/thrash metal will dig this. 9 albums in 17 years is no small accomplishment, but delivering high quality and evolving music while doing so is another level of achievement.
SCORE: 81/100
Genre: Death Metal
Released by Metal Blade Records on April 17th, 2020
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Rating System
96 - 100 Perfect
88 - 95 Excellent
84 - 87 Great
80 - 83 Very Good
75 - 79 Good
69 - 74 Mixed
58 - 68 Bad
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