The Black Dahlia Murder (band)
The Black Dahlia Murder is an American melodic death metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. Currently, the band consists of lead vocalist Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and guitarists Brandon Ellis and Ryan Knight. The Black Dahlia Murder has undergone various lineup changes, with Trevor Strnad and Eschbach remaining the only constant members, until the former's death in 2022, which then saw Eschbach take over lead vocals and Knight replacing him on rhythm guitar.
The Black Dahlia Murder in 2016 (L to R: Brandon Ellis, Max Levelle, Alan Cassidy, Trevor Strnad, & Brian Eschbach)
The Black Dahlia Murder in 2006. From left to right: Eschbach, former bassist Ryan Williams, former lead guitarist John Kempainen, Strnad and former drummer Pierre Langlois.
Ryan Knight in 2014
Alan Cassidy in 2016
Melodic death metal is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal. The genre features the heaviness of death metal but with highly melodic or harmonized guitar riffs and solos, and often features high-pitched shrieked vocals alongside the low-pitched growls commonly featured in traditional death metal. Pioneered by the English heavy metal band Carcass with their 1993 album Heartwork, melodic death metal developed further in Sweden in the mid-1990s. The Swedish death metal scene did much to popularise the style, soon centering in the "Gothenburg metal" scene. At the Gates' Slaughter of the Soul, Dark Tranquillity's The Gallery, and In Flames' The Jester Race, all released in the mid-1990s, were highly influential albums in melodic death metal, with At the Gates and In Flames being the two most common influences on North American 2000s heavy metal bands. Many American heavy metal bands emulated At the Gates' sound, resulting in the usage of the phrase "At the Gates worship".
Carcass helped develop the melodic death metal genre with their 1993 album Heartwork.
At the Gates live at Summer Breeze Open Air in 2016
Children of Bodom combined melodic death metal with power metal influences.
Melodic metalcore band All That Remains performing at Ozzfest 2006