The Black Dahlia Murder

Named after the infamous 1947 murder of actress Elizabeth Short, death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder formed in 2000 in Waterford, Michigan. Co-founded by vocalist Trevor Strnad and rhythm guitarist Brian Escbach, the band’s lineup would change over the years, but their brutal metal onslaught never wavered. They began sending out copies of their first demo, What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, in May 2001, and released their first official EP, A Cold-Blooded Epitaph, a year later. The Black Dahlia Murder signed a recording contract with Metal Blade Records in 2003 and released their debut album, Unhallowed, that same year. The band gained traction with the release of their second album Miasme, which reached Number 118 on the Billboard 200 and Number 1 on the Heatseekers chart. After participating in Ozzfest in 2005, the group returned to the studio to polish their third opus, Nocturnal, (2007) which reached Number 72 on the Billboard 200. The group then spent time on the road with bands such as 3 Inches of Blood, Hate Eternal, Decrepit Birth, Brain Drill, Animosity, Kataklysm, Cryptopsy, Vader, Whitechapel, and Despised Icon. Thanks to their hard work on the road, the band’s subsequent albums - Deflorate (2009), Ritual (2011), Everblack (2013), Abysmal (2015), and Nightbringers (2017) – all landed in the Top 40 or Top 50. In 2020, the band released their ninth studio album, Verminous, announced as their last. Lead vocalist Trevor Strnad died on May 11, 2022, just eight days after celebrating his 41st birthday. His cause of death was not revealed, but the official announcement of his passing included contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Finally, after Brian Eschbach switched from guitar to mic, a new album was on the way for 2024, called Servitude.