The Black Dahlia Murder Nocturnal [Metal Blade]

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Rating: 5.0

Hey indie rock nerd, I’m a metal guy. I expect music to thrash, shred, and disembowel while you enjoy bands that sing about discos and crying in front of women. Do you even know the difference between grind and grindcore? That’s what I thought. So, Usounds has asked me to be your guide through the pitchblack caverns of pure metal brutality while you listen to Arcade Fire and drink some sort of ironic beer. The only problem is that today I’m reviewing The Black Dahlia Murder.

First of all, I’m not in the business of judging artwork but if you want to know what you’re getting into with Nocturnal, the band’s third release, check out the Vincent Price garage sale cover. Some spooky castle perched on a mountain with creepy gargoyles. That shit isn’t metal. I don’t need to see a human skull being crushed by a tri-horned demon or a woman clinging to the rippled thigh of a netherworld warrior, but this is something my mom would paint on velvet. And while that’s embarrassing the music isn’t much better.

To be fair, if you’re really into Art Brut, Black Dahlia will possibly make you shit your Diesels. Blast beats, alternating screams and growls, and shrieking guitar solos roll at a freight train pace the entire length of the record. The problem is that this exact thing has been done for the last 20 years (At The Gates, Carcass) and it’s never sounded so harmless. The production is crystal clear, eliminating the all important noise aspect and shaving off any edge the band may have had. And even then every song still sounds the same. At one point I thought I was listening to “Deathmask Divine”, and it turned out to be “Climactic Degradation” the whole time.

So yeah, Nocturnal isn’t good and I’m sorry. I really wanted to lead you on some sort of unholy journey through a valley of cursed souls, but instead I wrote most of this at an Arby’s and now I’m considering a nap. Next time I promise we’ll go burn down a church or carve pentagrams on our foreheads or something real exciting. You ever heard of this band Slayer? We’ll check them out next time, Trust me it’s going to be fucking awesome.

-Shane Mehling

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7 thoughts on “The Black Dahlia Murder Nocturnal [Metal Blade]

  1. ;/, no one cares what your mom would paint on velvet. If you actually were “listening”, chances are you would have heard “climatic degradation” and it would have eliminated any confusion to which song you were listening to, coincidentally thats also the title of the song! If you’re going to write reviews at least try to pay attention while listening ? d00d slayer is so metal they are touring with marilyn manson. awesome!

  2. I agree with JAmes here. this album is heavy as hell i have no idea where you got your ideas from it is a sick album. SLayer is good but they are definently getting gayer and gayer fans…such as you

  3. What the hell is wrong with you. Sure, the songs dont have much to differenciate but what the hell. Its fucking brutal metal. If you wish to stay to a Black Metal base then go ahead, hell, i like to blow my fucking ears out and ruin childrens lives with it the same as anyone, but this isn’t black metal nor is it advertised as which. It is metal-core, which in my opinion is a great from of music. This cd mightn’t have amazing artwork, but did you see the other album covers, they aren’t all that amazing either. None the less, the music was punishing, and hell, i want to kill some emo kids as i sit here listening to “Virtually Yours”. This album stays true to what BDM has always done, melodic rifs, solos (although variation is lacking, still technically amazing) that can make your head explode, skitz vocals, amazing breakdowns and speed. That is what BDM is based on and they aren’t supremely amazing but far from repedative. They have a sound I say they can call their own, and damned what you think. If you want bad quality, go listen to Burzum, I’m sure you can get your fix there. Quality is impecable and it mightn’t be true to its roots, but a DAMN GOOD ALBUM and u can fucking quote me!

  4. I’ll quote you:

    far from repedative

    maybe all of this vicious metal has scorched your ability to spell?

  5. face it “shane” if that is your real name– you’re a pussy with ears like pussies that can’t stand being fucked hard by brutal metal.

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