The Black Dahlia Murder have announced their 10th studio album, Servitude, arriving September 27th. In advance of its release, the band has unleashed the single “Aftermath.”
Servitude marks the melodic death metal act’s first album following the tragic death of frontman Trevor Strnad in 2022. The LP features lead vocals by founding guitarist Brian Eschbach, who took over as singer when The Black Dahlia Murder decided to continue on as a band several months following Strnad’s passing. Their lineup is rounded out by bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, lead guitarist Brandon Ellis, and rhythm guitarist Ryan Knight (a former member who rejoined the band when Eschbach moved over the lead vocals).
“Everyone that’s in the band now is someone that Trevor and I searched for,” Eschbach says. “We spent so much time on the road together that everyone understands the mission statement. We don’t really need to talk about it. We just need to make great music and try to make people happy playing it.”
As far as taking on the new role of chief lyricist, Eschbach remarked, “I just had to lean into it hard. Honestly, writing the lyrics for this album was easier for me than writing the music for the three songs that I wrote music for. I’d pick a subject, research it, and just kinda dive in. Even though it’s not something I’d really ever done before, there was a natural flow to it once I started.”
Eschbach’s vocals can be heard loud and clear on first single “Aftermath,” a crushing introduction to this new chapter for The Black Dahlia Murder. An accompanying music video can be seen below.
The Black Dahlia Murder kick off a UK/European tour on Friday (June 14th) in Zamora, Spain, with tickets to their upcoming shows available here.