The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal [Album Review]

The Black Dahlia Murder have been on a winning streak with albums and their latest offering, Abysmal, is no exception to this. Abysmal is exactly the metal album 2015 needed full of intense highs and lows with the technicality we’ve come to expect from metal bands like The Black Dahlia Murder.

The album opens with ‘Receipt’ where the dissonant strings will get you hooked before leading into gnarly shredding and intense, dirty drumming. The first song is full of anticipation, leaving you begging for more. Never fear, there are nine more songs of this to go before you’ll need to hit repeat. Basically Abysmal doesn’t let up for a second, it’s intensity never drops with guitar solo after guitar solo leaving your head spinning along with the kind of drumming that’ll make your legs twitch. ‘Stygiophobic’ sees the usual tempo slow down a bit but that doesn’t take away any of the album’s strength as Trevor switches to low vocals to match the tone of the song with the song ending on an epic guitar solo that slowly fades into silence before leading into ‘Asylum’.

Even if The Black Dahlia Murder isn’t your jam, give this album a listen, the intensely technical musicianship holds tight throughout the entire album and make it worth listening to this album for that fact alone.

Track Listing:

01. Receipt
02. Vlad, Son of the Dragon
03. Abysmal
04. Re-Faced
05. Threat Level No. 3
06. The Fog
07. Stygoiphobic
08. Asylum
09. The Advent
10. That Cannot Die Which Eternally Is Dead

Running Time: 37:07
Release Date: 18 September 2015

Check out the track ‘Receipt’ here.