Out of the nine studio albums they have released to date, the last eight have charted on the U.S. Billboard 200, with their fifth album Ritual peaking at No. 31 in 2011, marking them as one of the most popular contemporary American extreme metal bands. Their ninth and latest album Verminous was released on April 17, 2020.
Current Line-Up:
Brian Eschbach – lead vocals (2022–present), rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–2022)
Ryan Knight – rhythm guitar (2022–present), lead guitar (2009–2016)
Max Lavelle – bass (2012–present)
Alan Cassidy – drums (2012–present)
Brandon Ellis – lead guitar, backing vocals (2016–present)
The Black Dahlia Murder began its inception during late 2000 and gained the final band lineup in January 2001. The group released their demo entitled "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", and a four-track EP, "A Cold-Blooded Epitaph", the latter of which the group released on Lovelost Records. After appearing in concerts such as the Milwaukee Metal Fest, The Black Dahlia Murder signed to Metal Blade Records in 2003.
Bassist Ryan "Bart" Williams left his former band, Detroit's Today I Wait, to tour with the Black Dahlia Murder. After touring with the band on their co-headlining gig with Throwdown and their European dates with Liar, he joined the group full-time, replacing former bassist David Lock. Frontman Trevor Strnad said that Lock was fired for incompetency. Williams was one of two engineers (the other being Walls of Jericho's Mike Hasty) on the band's first full-length album, "Unhallowed". The band then went on a tour in late 2004 supporting Unearth alongside with Terror and Remembering Never throughout the United States.
The band's second album "Miasma" was released on July 12, 2005, and peaked at No. 118 on the Billboard 200. After touring for "Miasma", drummer Zach Gibson left the band along with Pierre Langlois. While Gibson went on to join Abigail Williams, Langlois left the band for a more secure lifestyle, and the band finished their search for a replacement drummer when they found former All That Remains drummer, Shannon Lucas.
Their third album, entitled "Nocturnal", was released on September 18, 2007. The album debuted at No. 72 on the Billboard 200. Their longtime lead guitarist, John Kempainen left the band and was replaced by Ryan Knight during the beginning of 2009. In May 2009, The Black Dahlia Murder released their first DVD, "Majesty". The DVD contains a documentary and live footage from the Summer Slaughter tour and their tour supporting Children of Bodom in late 2008. The DVD also contains all of their music videos and behind the scenes footage.
The Black Dahlia Murder released Deflorate on September 15, 2009, via Metal Blade Records. The album sold 12,000 copies in the United States in the first week of the release, debuted at position No. 43 Billboard's Top 200 charts, No. 5 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart, No. 4 on Billboard's Top Hard Music Albums chart, and No. 50 on HITS Top 50 Albums chart. They toured with Children of Bodom and Skeletonwitch in support of the album. After their 2010 headlining tour with Goatwhore and Arkaik, the band began writing and recording their next full-length album.
In February 2011, The Black Dahlia Murder completed the songwriting process for their fifth studio album, entitled "Ritual". It was released on June 21, 2011, in North America.
In April 2012 during the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival on the first night performance, Trevor Strnad officially welcomed new bassist Max Lavelle into the band after former bassist Ryan Williams parted ways. On November 7, Shannon Lucas announced via a YouTube video that he would be stepping down as drummer of The Black Dahlia Murder to pursue other aspirations. Alan Cassidy of Abigail Williams filled in for Shannon's touring duties.
In early 2013, despite the news of the departure of two band members (drummer Shannon Lucas and bassist Bart Williams), plans were announced for an upcoming album release, to be entitled "Everblack". Tentative plans estimated its release to be early summer 2013; likely June. On April 10, 2013, the iTunes Store was updated with official release and availability information, including cover art, a full track listing, and an official U.S. release date of June 11, 2013. The album has 10 tracks in total. On the same day, the band's first single from "Everblack" was made available for purchase and download, titled "Into The Everblack". The album itself was then released on June 11 and peaked at No. 32 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
On November 28, 2014, The Black Dahlia Murder released a 7" EP titled Grind 'Em All featuring 3 short grindcore covers of punk rock songs: a cover of "Ripped Up" by Left for Dead, of "Rebel Without a Car" by Sedition and of "Populous" by Gyga. The covers were originally recorded almost 10 years earlier during the era of "Miasma". The EP was released as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday event via A389 Recordings (rather than the band's label, Metal Blade Records), made available for purchase on the band's online merchandise store and also streamed in its entirety via Exclaim!. The album art for Grind 'Em All was designed by Szymon Siech.
Lead guitarist Ryan Knight confirmed in early 2015 that the band will deliver a seventh studio release that year, followed by extensive touring, and that he is planning to start working on a solo album afterwards. Vocalist Trevor Strnad stated that the band's new album, titled "Abysmal", will be "more raw and natural sounding" and feature "more dynamic and developed songs" than their previous work. "Vlad, Son of the Dragon", the first song from the album, was released online on June 24, followed by "Receipt" on July 22 and "Threat Level No. 3" on August 19. "Abysmal" was produced by Mark Lewis and Ryan Williams and released worldwide through Metal Blade on September 18.In early February 2016, it was announced that Knight had left the band. He was replaced on lead guitar by Brandon Ellis of Arsis.
The band's 8th album "Nightbringers" was released on October 6, 2017, to critical and commercial acclaim, charting at 35 on the Billboard 200.
The Black Dahlia Murder released their ninth studio album, "Verminous", on April 17, 2020.
On May 11, 2022, it was announced that the band's frontman Trevor Strnad had died. While no official cause of death has been given, the phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was provided at the end of the statement.
On September 14, 2022, The Black Dahlia Murder announced a tribute concert taking place for Trevor Strnad on October 28 at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit, Michigan, supported by Darkest Hour and Plague Years. It was also announced that Brian Eschbach will be stepping down from guitar and taking over as lead vocalist as he states in an interview with Decibel Magazine; "I know Trevor would keep this band going if I went down a deep, dark path and weren’t here.". In Brian's place, Ryan Knight will be returning to the band as the rhythm guitarist.
Dave Goes To Hollywood
The Black Dahlia Murder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Joints lubricated by sweet alcohol
Liver dissolving, eyelids but heavy sheets
Ignorant bliss and the bloodshot secrets it will keep
Pills, if you wouldn't mind
Clouds of vapor to stretch out the miles
Hungover, we'll greet a certain death
Each cities' demons buried beneath
In this campaign of vice
Our drinking song, a reprise
A slow blur existence
Wading knee deep in sin
Clutch at the ulcer
Acknowledge the frailties within
At dawn we begin again
You who have never seen your breath, are you alive?
This mitten clenches in a fist to kiss this fucking world goodnight
Destroyer, my only keeper
I kneel unto your amber gates
(And) pray you'll kill the ugliness that sleep won't take away
Free drinks, they shall not kill us
They only warm our fucking bones!
But late at night, I can't forget your laugh
And everything I used to know
But I've never seen so many faces
But I've never felt this all alone
But I guess this is what I've always wanted,
A four-wheeled coffin to call home
I will not ask another name
Disappearing faster than they came
Are you having fun?
Are you entertained?
Another heart-shaped bruise,
Another friend back home I'll lose
Am I missing something?
What is left to prove?
Another heated first-name fuck
Another stroke of dead man's luck
Another year I can't replace
Another tear sent down her face
At dawn we begin again,
'Till our deaths shall bring an end
You who have never seen your breath, are you alive?
This mitten clenches in a fist to kiss this fucking world goodnight
Destroyer, my only keeper
I kneel unto your amber gates
(And) pray you'll kill the ugliness that sleep won't take away
The song "Dave Goes to Hollywood" by The Black Dahlia Murder is a dark and brooding reflection on the dangers of excess, particularly in relation to alcohol use. The opening lines, "We of blood frozen so thick it cannot thaw / Joints lubricated by sweet alcohol / Liver dissolving, eyelids but heavy sheets / Ignorant bliss and the bloodshot secrets it will keep," paint a picture of a group of people who are drowning in alcoholism, unable to escape its grasp despite the harm it is doing to their bodies and minds.
The chorus, "Pills, if you wouldn't mind / Clouds of vapor to stretch out the miles / Hungover, we'll greet a certain death / With a flash of chipped tooth smile / Each cities' demons buried beneath / In this campaign of vice / Our drinking song, a reprise," indicates that the group is on a road trip, using drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of their existence as they travel from city to city, leaving behind a trail of destruction in their wake.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more introspective, with lines like, "Clutch at the ulcer / Acknowledge the frailties within," indicating a sense of self-awareness and a desire to escape the cycle of addiction. However, the song ultimately ends on a bleak note, with the repeated refrain of "At dawn we begin again / 'Till our deaths shall bring an end," suggesting that the group will continue to spiral out of control until they meet their eventual demise.
Line by Line Meaning
We of blood frozen so thick it cannot thaw
We are hardened and desensitized, unable to feel any emotion
Joints lubricated by sweet alcohol
We use alcohol to numb ourselves and make it easier to indulge in our vices
Liver dissolving, eyelids but heavy sheets
Our bodies are suffering from the constant abuse of alcohol and drugs, resulting in physical and mental fatigue
Ignorant bliss and the bloodshot secrets it will keep
We are willfully ignoring the consequences of our actions and keeping our destructive behavior a secret from those around us
Pills, if you wouldn't mind
We are asking for drugs to enhance our experience and further numb our senses
Clouds of vapor to stretch out the miles
We use drugs and other vices to make the journey easier and more enjoyable
Hungover, we'll greet a certain death
Our reckless behavior is leading us towards an early death
With a flash of chipped tooth smile
We are accepting our fate with a fake smile and a sense of rebellion
Each cities' demons buried beneath
Every city we visit has its own set of vices and addictions waiting for us to indulge in
In this campaign of vice
We are on a mission to indulge in every vice and addiction we can find
Our drinking song, a reprise
We are repeating our destructive behavior with every new city we visit and every new night we party
A slow blur existence
We are living a hazy, unfocused life full of addiction and vice
Wading knee deep in sin
We are deep in our addictive behavior, surrounded by sin and vice
Clutch at the ulcer
We are holding onto our addiction even though it is causing physical and mental pain
Acknowledge the frailties within
We are aware of our weaknesses and shortcomings but continue our destructive behavior anyway
At dawn we begin again
Our addiction and destructive behavior continues every day, starting anew with each sunrise
You who have never seen your breath, are you alive?
If you have never experienced difficulty breathing due to addiction or vices, are you truly living?
This mitten clenches in a fist to kiss this fucking world goodnight
We are accepting our fate and giving into our addiction with a sense of finality
Destroyer, my only keeper
Our addiction acts as both a destroyer of our well-being and a comforting force in our lives
I kneel unto your amber gates
We are submitting to our addiction and vices as if they were a higher power
Pray you'll kill the ugliness that sleep won't take away
We are hoping our addiction will help us escape from the ugly realities of our lives that even sleep cannot erase
Free drinks, they shall not kill us
We are willing to indulge in as many vices and take as many risks as we can without fearing the consequences
They only warm our fucking bones!
We use vices and addictions to warm our bodies and numb our senses
But late at night, I can't forget your laugh
Even amongst addiction and vices, we still crave the connection and companionship of others
And everything I used to know
Our addiction has taken over and changed who we used to be
But I've never seen so many faces
We encounter countless people in our pursuit of addiction and vices, but none of them truly know us
But I've never felt this all alone
Despite being surrounded by people and indulging in vices, we still feel a deep sense of isolation and loneliness
But I guess this is what I've always wanted,
We have been seeking this lifestyle of addiction and vice because we feel it fulfills some deep desire within us
A four-wheeled coffin to call home
We have made our car - the symbol of our freedom and addiction - into a metaphorical coffin that will eventually lead to our demise
I will not ask another name
We are not interested in getting to know people on a deeper level, just using them to indulge in our vices
Disappearing faster than they came
Our addiction causes people to come in and out of our lives quickly, without any real connection
Are you having fun?
We are trying to find validation and justification for our addictive behavior
Are you entertained?
We are trying to distract ourselves from the realities of our addiction and vices by seeking temporary entertainment
Another heart-shaped bruise,
Our addiction and vices are causing us emotional pain and hurt
Another friend back home I'll lose
Our addiction is causing us to lose connections with people who were once important to us
Am I missing something?
We are questioning whether this lifestyle of addiction and vice is really fulfilling us or if we are missing out on something more significant
What is left to prove?
We have been pushing the limit with our addiction and vices, but now we question whether there is anything left to gain or prove
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BRIAN ESCHBACH, DAVID LOCK, JOHN KEMPAINEN, TREVOR STRNAD, ZACHARY GIBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind