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.
Miscarriage
The Black Dahlia Murder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Barbed and callous tongues shall lick
Behind the thinnest doors
A web of falsehood so unfolds
Humility
Pride dissected maliciously
A mockery
Cruelly illuminated the subject of shallow spectacle
Inherent weaknesses revealed
Contact withers to a lull
Once perfect pictures now stained with fingerprints
Tragedy fucks jealousy
The human heartstrings bend and break
Vultures with human eyes, can you feel them circling?
Preying on tender moments
The failures of purest dream
Our selfish means are the means to this fucking end
A knife for every spine of every man
Nails scratching into the flesh until fibers are broken
Something's got to give
The bottoms of bottles no longer ease the pain
And the bathroom mirror reflects the face of autonomy
Man must invert
Internalize the pain
The sequence replays in the mind
The human heartstrings bend and break
Vultures with human eyes, can you feel them circling?
Preying on tender moments
The failures of purest dream
Our selfish means are the means to this fucking end
A knife for every spine of every man
Away a lot ugly answers lie somewhere in between
Intrinsic disregard and the burden of weakness
They're sharpening
The knives are always sharpening
A life now stained with fingerprints
Something's got to give!
The lyrics of "Miscarriage" by The Black Dahlia Murder are incredibly dark and intense, speaking to themes of betrayal, jealousy, and the cruelty of the human condition. The opening lines, "The language of the lie/Barbed and callous tongues shall lick/Behind the thinnest doors/A web of falsehood so unfolds" set the stage for a song that highlights the way in which people will use words to manipulate and hurt one another, often without even realizing the depths of their own deceit.
As the song continues, we see just how destructive this can be, with "once perfect pictures now stained with fingerprints" and "vultures with human eyes, preying on tender moments" until "the failures of purest dream" are revealed. The darkness of these lyrics is palpable, with each line seemingly building on the last to paint a picture of a world in which human connection is fraught and painful, and where people are constantly living in fear of being hurt.
Despite this, there is a sense of resilience to the song as well, with the repeated refrain of "something's got to give" a reminder that even in the darkest moments, there is always a glimmer of hope for something better. In the end, the lyrics of "Miscarriage" are a testament to the power of language and the devastating effects it can have on those around us, but also a reminder that even in the bleakest of circumstances, there is always a way forward.
Line by Line Meaning
The language of the lie
The deceitful words that are spoken
Barbed and callous tongues shall lick
Cruel and harsh words will be spoken
Behind the thinnest doors
The truth is hidden behind the smallest of barriers
A web of falsehood so unfolds
A complicated and intricate network of lies is revealed
Humility
Being humble and modest
Pride dissected maliciously
One's sense of self-worth being torn apart in a hateful manner
A mockery
Being ridiculed and made fun of
Bonds dissolve in endless mimickery
Relationships deteriorate due to constant imitation and copying
Cruelly illuminated the subject of shallow spectacle
Bringing attention to the surface-level and superficial aspects of a person in a cruel way
Inherent weaknesses revealed
Internal flaws and vulnerabilities becoming exposed
Contact withers to a lull
Connections and relationships eventually fade away
Once perfect pictures now stained with fingerprints
Previously flawless situations now have evidence of wrongdoing
Tragedy fucks jealousy
Misfortune breeds envy and resentment
The human heartstrings bend and break
Emotional strain causes irreversible damage
Vultures with human eyes, can you feel them circling?
People with cruel intentions are surrounding and preying on others
Preying on tender moments
Exploiting intimate and caring moments for personal gain
The failures of purest dream
Even the most honest and genuine aspirations can fail
Our selfish means are the means to this fucking end
Selfish actions lead to achieving one's goals, regardless of harm caused
A knife for every spine of every man
Everyone will eventually face betrayal and harm
Nails scratching into the flesh until fibers are broken
Intense pain and suffering causing lasting damage
Something's got to give
A turning point or change is necessary
The bottoms of bottles no longer ease the pain
Alcohol no longer provides relief or comfort
And the bathroom mirror reflects the face of autonomy
Examining oneself and taking control of one's actions
Man must invert
People need to reverse their current actions and attitudes
Internalize the pain
Taking responsibility for past actions and their consequences
The sequence replays in the mind
Memories of past mistakes continue to haunt
Away a lot ugly answers lie somewhere in between
The truth often lies in between conflicting possibilities
Intrinsic disregard and the burden of weakness
A deep lack of care and responsibility along with inherent flaws
They're sharpening
Someone is preparing for harm or violence
The knives are always sharpening
The danger is always present, never ceasing
A life now stained with fingerprints
A person's life now contains evidence of wrongdoing
Something's got to give!
Action is necessary to prevent further harm or suffering
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRIAN ESCHBACH, DAVID LOCK, JOHN KEMPAINEN, TREVOR STRNAD, ZACHARY GIBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind