UMUR "Nightbringers" is the 8th full-length studio album by US death metal act The Black Dahlia Murder. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in October 2017. It´s the successor to "Abysmal" from 2015. There´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Ryan Knight has been replaced by Brandon Ellis. The regular edition of the album features 9 tracks and a playing time of 33:12 minutes, while the limited edition features no less than 5 bonus tracks (among them covers of "This Mortal Coil" by Carcass and "The Swarm" by At The Gates and a full playing time of 49:13 minutes.

It´s no coincidence that The Black Dahlia Murder have chosen to cover the above mentioned artists, as both are obvious influences on the band´s music. When that is said, the original material on "Nightbringers" sound unmistakably like The Black Dahlia Murder. Predominantly fast-paced melodic death metal with horror lyric themes, loads of guitar harmonies, neo-classical inspired guitar solos, a tight and energetic rhythm section driving the music forward in a powerful almost frantic manner, and Trevor Strnad in front, delivering his trademark high pitched screaming vocals, and occasionally deeper death growls. The band work a little more in heavy mid-paced territory these days compared to the early releases, but it´s details, and The Black Dahlia Murder still sound very much like they´ve sounded since day one.

Consistency in quality is always a good thing, and you can put a huge check mark behind that when listening to "Nightbringers" which as a high quality release through and through. I´ve said it before though and I´ll say it again about a The Black Dahlia Murder album, and that is that "Nightbringers" sound a lot like almost any other release by the band, and a little more variation and development of the band´s sound is called for at this point in their career. Releasing what is basically the same album over and over again in a slightly different format, is bound to alienate fans at some point. On the other hand a similar approach worked for Motörhead for several decades, so maybe The Black Dahlia Murder will prove me wrong. The fact that they´ve survived on the scene this long and now release their 8th full-length album almost already do.

"Nightbringers" features a powerful, detailed, and very well sounding production job, and the musicianship is on a high level on all posts. The material are well written, although as always it´s a bit hard to pick highlights. I´ll mention "Kings of the Nightworld" as the most standout track on the album though, as that track is an example of the band trying something a bit different and fully succeeding in doing so. Upon conclusion "Nightbringers" is yet another high quality release in a now long line of high quality releases by The Black Dahlia Murder and a 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved, despite my reservations regarding variation and development between the band´s releases.

UMUR "Deflorate" is the 4th full-length studio album by US, Michigan based death metal act The Black Dahlia Murder. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2009. It´s the successor to "Nocturnal" from 2007 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist John Kempainen has been replaced by Ryan Knight.

Stylistically "Deflorate" pretty much continues the melodic, highly energetic, and predominantly uptempo death metal style of "Nocturnal (2007)". The Black Dahlia Murder are a very consistent act both when it comes to musical style, but more importantly also when it comes to the quality of their output. And the quality is high here. To a point where my jaw drops several times during the playing time. Either because of the brilliance of the songwriting or because of the high level performances. Sure there are a song or two, which sound a bit too much alike, which is a slight issue on most of the band´s releases, but there are some pretty damn brilliant tracks here too and the band deserve a lot of praise for that.

"Deflorate" is not a particularly long album, featuring only 10 tracks and a total playing time of 34:01 minutes, but the relatively short playing time is spend effectively. The album opens with "Black Valor" and "Necropolis" and the stage is immediately set for a fast-paced, melodic, and at times quite brutal assault on the ears (featuring Trevor Strnad´s trademark high-pitched screaming alternating with his brutal growls). Although there are heavier parts on the album, The Black Dahlia Murder are a highly energetic act, and "Deflorate" features very few moments to catch your breath. One of those moments happens to be the highlight of the album though. The closing track "I Will Return" opens fairly heavy and melodic, and although it picks up pace along the way, it ends heavy and melodic again, and fades out with a soaring melodic lead (played by producer Jason Suecof). Absolutely brilliant and one of the most memorable tracks in the band´s career.

"Deflorate" features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. It´s small details which make it different from the sound on "Nocturnal (2007)", which also featured a strong sound production, but this one is just a notch better sounding. So upon conclusion The Black Dahlia Murder aren´t finished climbing the latter towards perfection and still better themselves from album to album. I´ve mentioned my minor issue with some tracks sounding a bit too much alike, but listened to individually even the least standout tracks on the album are of a high quality. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Nocturnal" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, Michigan based death metal act The Black Dahlia Murder. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2007. It´s the successor to "Miasma" from 2005 and there have been a couple of lineup changes since the release of the predecessor as drummer Zach Gibson has been replaced by Shannon Lucas and bassist David Lock has been replaced by Bart Williams. So that´s the third drummer and the second bassist change in, at the time, a three album discography...

...and that´s why it´s pretty amazing how consistent The Black Dahlia Murder are both when it comes to the songwriting and to the quality of the material. So if you´re familiar with the first two albums and the high energy melodic death metal style, with both high pitched screaming vocals and deeper growling vocals, that is featured on those releases, you´ll find very few surprises on "Nocturnal". The material on the 10 track, 34:58 minutes long album is a direct continuation of where "Miasma (2005)" left off. The consistency of the material is both a strength and a weakness as you´ll always be treated to high quality tracks, but stylistically "Nocturnal" is slightly one-dimensional in sound.

The album opens strong with "Everything Went Black" and "What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse", but settles into more standard quality territory for most of the remainder of the album, with some tracks standing out a little more than others, and a couple being slightly unremarkable (although still of a high quality if listened to independently). "Nocturnal" closes with the slower and heavier "Warborn", and at that point the slower pace and more heavy riff driven track is a cherished variation from the predominantly frantic pace of the rest of the album. The Black Dahlia Murder are incredibly energetic and their skillful high speed playing are impressive, but a bit more songwriting variation could have made "Nocturnal" an even better release than it is.

"Nocturnal" features a clear, powerful, and professional sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. So upon conclusion "Nocturnal" is another high quality release by The Black Dahlia Murder. It features exactly the same strenghts and weaknesses as the band´s first two releases, which means that fans of those releases will probably enjoy this one greatly, while those who didn´t find the first two albums to their tastes, won´t find anything new here to get hooked on. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Miasma" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, Michigan based death metal act The Black Dahlia Murder. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in July 2005. It´s the successor to "Unhallowed" from 2003 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Cory Grady has been replaced by Zach Gibson.

The material on "Miasma" pretty much continue the melodic death metal style of "Unhallowed (2003)". It´s sharp, predominantly fast-paced and energetic melodic death metal, and features both deep growling vocals and high pitched screaming vocals. It´s all delivered by skilled musicians who are more than capable of handling their instruments with great conviction and passion. At 10 tracks and 33:48 minutes of playing time "Miasma" doesn´t overstay its welcome and the relatively short playing time is perfect for this release. The Black Dahlia Murder simply don´t write varied enough material for much longer releases. It´s a criticism which sounds much harder on paper than it is actually meant, because if you give "Miasma" enough spins, the tracks begin to stand out a bit more. Ultimately a bit more variation between tracks could have made "Miasma" a more memorable release though (the same can be said about most of the band´s albums).

With that out of the way each track featured on the album is still an incredibly powerful and catchy listening experience on an individual level. Not a single track is of a sub par qaulity to the rest, and the consistent quality of the tracks and the skillful delivery of the material are some of the greatest assets of the album. "Miasma" features a powerful and detailed sound production too, which is another great asset and upon conclusion it´s a high quality album through and through. The lack of variation between tracks is a minor issue, but not enough for me not to grant the album a 4 star (80%) rating.

UMUR "Unhallowed" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Michigan based death metal act The Black Dahlia Murder. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in June 2003. The Black Dahlia Murder was formed in 2001 and released two demos and the "A Cold-Blooded Epitaph" EP before releasing "Unhallowed". The band are named after the infamous 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short (who was nicknamed "The Black Dahlia" by the press).

Stylistically the material on the 10 track, 36:30 minutes long album is melodic death metal with both high pitched screaming vocals and deeper growling vocals. Both vocal styles courtesy of lead vocalist Trevor Strnad. The music is highly energetic and predominantly very fast-paced and there is a good balance between the melodic and the brutal elements of the band´s sound. While there are clear nods toward Swedish melodic death metal, and especially an act like At the Gates comes to mind, The Black Dahlia Murder incorporate other musical elements, which ultimately mean they have their own relatively unique sound. The atmosphere of the album is dark and the horror tinged lyrics further enhance the gloomy yet also somewhat uplifting melodic tinged mood of the release. It´s an interesting combination of melody and energetic death metal brutality.

The musicianship is generally very impressive. High level performances on all posts and a convincing and passionate delivery of the music earn them plus points in my book. "Unhallowed" is also well produced, featuring a raw, powerful, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. The high quality of the product is actually a bit baffling considering that "Unhallowed" is a debut album, but there is a very little here to mention as issues. Maybe the songwriting could have been slightly more varied and as a result the tracks could have been a bit easier to tell apart, but it´s not a major issue, and "Unhallowed" is a high quality release through and through. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.