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Nightbringers(2017)-The Black Dahlia Murder


ButterLettuss

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Release Date: October 6, 2017

Intro:  This is the band's 8th studio release.  Some questions have been raised about the replacement of previous lead guitarist Ryan Knight by Brandon Ellis.  Additionally, some felt their sound was getting a little too far from there roots, becoming too slow and "easy" for it's own good. The band considers this album a spiritual successor to "Nocturnal", one of their most highly praised works, and a fan favourite.  They solidify the link by using the same artist for the cover, and many of the songs seem like they pick up where Nocturnal left off.  Does this album stand up?

 

Highlights:

 

Track 1: Widowmakrer.  This track opens with an awesome riff and a great scream from Trevor to really set the tone of this short but brutal album.  A good riff carries through the verse and the lyrics are an interesting change from the classical fantasy storylines usually heard on death metal albums.  Definitely a good strat

Track 3: Matriarch.  This song is a riff bonanza.  From start to finish this one beats the living shit out of you.  Trevor's screams match the rhythm really well, and the chorus is particularly catchy.  This song also has some of the more brutal lyrics on the album, which are awesome.  In my opinion this is where you really start to see Ellis shine.  In addition to playing leads, he wrote 4 of the songs on this album and proved he can keep up with the guys who've been in the band for almost 20 years.

Track 5: Jars.  This is probably the heaviest and least melodic song on the album.  It's still a brutal assault with riffs changing all the time, making good use of blast beats on the drums and heavy rhythm guitars over wailing leads.  Another song with excellent lyrical content, I really think this entire album has some of the more interesting lyrics of the last few records.

Track 7: Catacomb Hectacomb.  This song is probably the most melodic on the album, and flows really well.  The trem picking riffs throughout keep the song moving, and the constant drums make the song feel frantic.  They slow things down during the bridges to give a nice duality to the song.  Around the 1:30 mark there is an epic breakdown, followed by a blistering solo.  Honestly Brandon Ellis makes a case for being their best guitarist, period.

Track 9: The Lonely Deceased.  Most reminiscent of previous album, this tune has some of the darker, more depressing overtones on the album that match the title quite well.  It's a somber close to the album filled with some great, pounding riffs.  A little slower, but as the end track it suits well and closes the album nicely.

 

Final Thoughts:  This is probably my favourite TBDM album to date.  It definitely picks up on the speed and intensity that some feel the last two albums may have been lacking.  Ellis brings creative talent as well as technical ability that makes this a great listen.  For fans who had written them off this would be an excellent time to give them another shot, and for new/potential fans I would highly recommend checking this out if you want a sense of what these guys are all about.  

 

Rating: 4.5/5.

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  • 10 months later...

Hey!

I used to listen to TBDM on the days of Nocturnal and you can definitely say they made it hard for themselves to get out with something better or even as good.

I just started to listen to the album so hard for me to go with favourite songs etc. but this definitely is a step in the right direction. Last time i listened to them was when they got to the Everblack album and i couldn't just like it as much as previous albums. Now i have something to listen to in the Metal genre!

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