The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal

The Black Dahlia Murder totally caught me off guard and just blew me away. I know this release, "Nocturnal", already came out in september '07, but I picked it up in january as a recommendation by my brother. I expected it to be more of a metalcore type of music, but they play some of the best Melodic Death Metal I heard in some time. They even have the artwork and the lyrics spot on. I still remember the days when you had to be born and bred in Sweden to be able to make music like this. Maybe these americans have scandinavian roots, who knows?

It also seems that they are rather controversial in the metal scene as they have their own hate group on last.fm (which I refuse to link to). Apparently, they "steal" from bands like Sacramentum, Carcass, and At The Gates. First of all, yes, they play music in the same vein, but steal? Please tell me, which parts did they steal exactly? None, that's how many. And second, those bands mentioned don't even exist anymore, let alone release any new music. Why not be happy that other bands, new bands, keep playing this genre?

Anyways, the title song, "Nocturnal", is definitely my favourite. It embodies all the typical elements that you expect from a Melodic Death Metal song and it's perfectly executed. But that's not the only one. The album is just filled with other killer songs as well: "Deathmask Divine", "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", ... I can play them again and again.

What truly lifts them up above other similar artists is their ability to create a dark and foreboding atmosphere with just the basic instruments and Strnad's incredible vocals (no synths on this one). It's something you don't see often, except in the great MDM releases like Dissection's Storm of the Light's Bane, or At The Gates' Slaughter of the Soul.

I also firmly believe that you should always support the bands you like, so earlier this week I ordered some TBDM swag (a t-shirt and a zipped hoodie). Can't wait for that to get here.

For fans of: Dissection, At The Gates, (old) Dark Tranquillity, (old) In Flames