How do you replace the irreplaceable? How does a band continue when the focal point, the driving force and the heart of it is suddenly taken way? The follow-up to The Black Dahlia Murder’s 2020 album Verminous arrives in the cruellest of circumstances, being their first since the passing of their universally loved frontman Trevor Strnad. Just the act of stepping back onstage with your friend not being there alongside you must be immensely painful for the band, but to have to regroup and create something that stands alongside their best work? ‘Daunting’ barely covers it.
TBDM had been on one of the longest uninterrupted hot streaks in metal – an opinion hammered home when you factor in how there really is no general consensus about which of their records is their definitive work. Straw-poll fans, and everything from 2017’s awe-inspiring Nightbringers to their raw, unpolished but fantastically savage 2003 debut, Unhallowed, and everything in between would get ample votes.
They were consistency personified. To have the rug pulled out from them in the way it was feels unbelievably unfair, and how they deal with getting back on-the-horse will surely be crucial to their success going forward. So, let’s just get this out of the way early to allay any fears: Servitude is a classic slice of TBDM’s signature, swinging, chaotic death metal majesty, and it is well worthy of sitting alongside the band’s classic material.
It starts with the subdued tinkling of piano keys on opener Evening Ephemeral, which, alongside the acoustic An Intermission, is the only moment of quiet reflection on the album. Even that is brief, as, within less than a minute, it all explodes into a crushing double-time groove with Brian Eschbach, having moved from guitar to taking Strnad’s place on the mic, displaying a similar level of sandpaper-rough screeching as his late friend.
From the moment Brian’s opening bark of ‘Now places everyone, the stage is set…’ hits, it’s like The Black Dahlia Murder have never been away. Panic Hysteric is all stabbing guitars, grinding rhythms and wonderful melodic leads; first single Aftermath sounds like Obituary’s trademark stomp being played on fast-forward; the techy riffs and horrifying screams of Cursed Creator are absurdly catchy; the title track is so chaotic you feel like you’re having your noggin walloped about by an entire gang of Mike Tysons; and Transcosmic Blueprint could be Mercyful Fate if King Diamond & co had been chugging beers and blasting Bolt Thrower albums just prior to recording.
As the same keys that opened the album chime back in for a final time at the end of closer Utopia Black, one of the most keenly felt emotions is relief. No one, particularly the band themselves, would have wanted a sympathy pass, but just by effortlessly doing the thing that they have always done, The Black Dahlia Murder have skilfully picked up where they left off. They know that they will never replace the irreplaceable, instead deciding to channel and celebrate him instead, and the results are glorious.
Servitude is out today via Metal Blade.
