The passing of Trevor Strnad will forever be linked to Servitude as it’s the first album to be released by The Black Dahlia Murder since that terrible day. However, I would like this review to act as a celebration of the perseverance that turned into a formidable 10th album. I’ve already written about what Strnad meant to me and very likely a significant portion of the global metal community, so instead of further mourning, I want to bask in the joy I’m experiencing getting to hear 10 fresh tracks from this Detroit quintet.
The fine gentleman of The Black Dahlia Murder could’ve decided to disband, and no one with a fully-functioning brain would’ve begrudged them that choice. Lucky are these fans, however, as they made one of the greatest moves possible by having rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach move to vocals full-time and brought former guitarist Ryan Knight back into the fold. What could be more appropriate after a loss than a family gathering? After sitting with this album for a couple of weeks, two things jump to mind about the experience:
- It feels like hearing a debut from a supergroup
- It plays like the band had the design of a live setlist in mind based on the writing and sequencing
Let’s start with the latter point, shall we?
“Panic Hysteric” brings forward the early days of Knight’s time in the band with some flitting guitar lines right out of the Arsis playbook and rips out a lead that’s equal parts soaring and weeping. “Aftermath” feels like the fan favorite the band launches into after they’ve played a couple of unfamiliar new songs for the crowd. It’s a blasting, vicious slab of rhythm and melody fighting for purchase while Eschbach goes fully rabid over the top. “Cursed Creator” taps the break peddle to crash into the groove-laden, mid-paced waves of a song like “On Stirring Seas Of Salted Blood.” The song isn’t afraid of open space that lets the guitar lines morph and play to make the recording feel huge.
Naturally, that halfway point is interjected with a 30-second acoustic number aptly titled “An Intermission,” whose dark quality is reminiscent of the ominous grim tones that the moments of violin gave to a couple of tracks on Ritual. What do you do after a show’s intermission? Why come out full-speed and literally screaming with vitality in a song like “Asserting Dominion,” of course! The title track follows with one of the best passages of drummer Alan Cassidy’s career. About 1:20 in, he starts this rollicking stretch that balances cymbal work into wild tom hits into gut-busting kick rolls and so much more. Every few seconds, what he’s doing changes but it all comes across so smooth and in service to the other instruments around it rather than feeling like showboating. My personal favorite, “Mammoth’s Hand,” harkens to the shimmering circusy riffs on Nightbringers, giving the late stretch of the show some serious swing as it blends ear-worm melodies with grooving rhythms. “Transcosmic Blueprint” unleashes Knight and fellow guitarist Brandon Ellis in a dueling guitar stretch that they’ll surely lean into further from an actual stage. Our proceedings come to a close with “Utopia Black” as it blasts grimness into your ears while somehow giving you a head-bopping main guitar line. The song finishes with a little instrumental just as the lights come on and you know its time to go home. Listening to Servitude is the perfect microcosm experience of seeing The Black Dahlia Murder on stage.
Let’s return to the point about this album feeling like a debut from a super group. The first element of that is the comparatively raw production. While they’ve sounded pretty slick and clean for a good long time, Servitude puts a little bit of dirt back on it like the album got a nice long hug from Unhallowed. The next thing you’re sure to notice is the obvious shift in the vocal style. As it should be, Eschbach isn’t trying to be Strnad. His range, his speed and his more feral approach are all different and welcome. He didn’t come to his new role intending to do a Strnad impression. Similarly, Knight doesn’t seem to be coming in and deciding to do an Eschbach impression. All of these guys know each other, and that familiarity bleeds through in the clear nods to past works that come through.
More than likely, writing this album was incredibly difficult. This band has always taken what they do seriously and wanted to deliver something they know their fans want to hear. Servitude is an album that exhibits a band finding new footing and perhaps still coloring inside the lines a little bit, but ensuring those colors are still all their own. Album number 10 absolutely stands on its own merits and is a more than worthy addition to one of my favorite discographies. Part of what makes it fun, though, is it also feels like just the beginning. With an album under their belt and a full cycle of touring ahead, Eschbach will likely experiment more as he settles into doing vocals exclusively, each member will be more willing to add their own fresh twists to songs as they get accustomed to one another’s writing processes, and having two lead guitarists of this caliber in one band is sure to open some new doors down the road.
Servitude doesn’t feel like a debut because it’s unpolished or full of missteps; it feels like a debut because it’s brimming with a fresh energy and feels like its only hinting at what could be in store.
So, let’s celebrate a killer new album that is a beacon of there finally being more light than dark ahead of The Black Dahlia Murder. Vampire youth, raise your cups to the moon!
