Ritual (pron. rich-oo–uhl): An established or prescribed procedure, rite, ceremony, proceeding or service…Any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner…A prescribed code of behavior. Waterford, Michigan’s THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER have released their finest musical statement to date with 2011’s simply punishing Ritual. I am afraid these dudes are starting to become one of the best extreme metal names around. With Ritual, their fifth full-length album, TBDM has prescribed brutality to its listener in its ugliest form. Front man Trevor Strnad considers it “the most focused Black Dahlia Murder strike of all time.”, and I would have to totally agree. He sounds the best he ever has, clearly one of the meanest metal vocal performances of the year so far. The album was produced by Mark Lewis (Trivium, Scale the Summit, Deicide), who also worked on TBDM’s 2009 release Deflorate. He’s totally knocked this one out of the park. Don’t even get me started on how kick ass Brian Eschbach and fellow guitarist Ryan Knight are on each face melter after the next. My personal favorites on the record are “On Stirring Seas of Salted Blood” and “Carbonized in Cruciform”. I dare any extreme metal fan to listen to both those tracks and tell me these dudes don’t currently reign as the leaders in melodic death metal.
ROCKET REVIEW:
[starreview tpl=16]
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – “Ritual” (CD)
(Metal Blade Records/2011)
1. A Shrine To Madness
2. Moonlight Equilibrium
3. On Stirring Seas Of Salted Blood
4. Conspiring With The Damned
5. The Window
6. Carbonized In Cruciform
7. Den Of The Picquerist
8. Malenchanments Of The Necrosphere
9. The Grave Robber’s Work
10. The Raven
11. Great Burning Nullifier
12. Blood In The Ink
http://www.myspace.com/blackdahliamurder
I’d give this a 666/10…
This album is far beyond brutal, it’s deadly to the ears!