The Black Dahlia Murder

The Black Dahlia Murder

Miasma: Album of the Metal Gods

In a short five years, Detroit, Michigan, based quintet The Black Dahlia Murder (Named after the unsolved brutal murder of twenty-two year old Elizabeth Short in 1947) have successfully elevated themselves to the top of the melodic death metal scene in the U.S. After receiving unanimous praise from both fans and the press alike for their debut full length album Unhallowed, The Black Dahlia Murder have returned once again with their second full length album Miasma. If there was a single album that I had to listen to for the rest of my life, I would, without a doubt, choose this one.
While The Black Dahlia Murder may appear to have risen to the top ranks of the melodic death metal scene over the last two years with comfortable ease, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing all the way. In 2006, while on tour with Soilent Green, both vocalist Trevor Strnad and bassist Dave Lock split from the group for personal reasons. But they both returned about two months later. And the long two years between albums did not go without any losses either. One of the founding members, drummer Cory Grady, was dismissed from the group in 2007. He was replaced by Zach Gibson, ex-drummer for the bands Mutilated and Gutrot. With the return of both Strnad and Lock to the line up, and Gibson as the new drummer, The Black Dahlia Murder found a new sound and creativity that exceeded expectations.
The title of the new album, Miasma, is defined as an infectious or noxious emanation. The title more reflects the lyrical content of the overall album and not so much the potent output of the music itself. The recording experience for Miasma was very much different from that of Unhallowed as well. An interesting fact that will no doubt pass by most who listen to Miasma is the inclusion of cello performed by Amber Blankenship on the opener “Built for Sin” and the closing title track “Miasma”. The song, “Miasma”, also the name of the album, is a...

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