It’s finally coming. Following some online teasing, the Black Dahlia Murder have confirmed that they’re due to release their first album since the 2022 passing of founding vocalist Trevor Strnad. Titled Servitude, it’s set for a fall release, and today (June 13th) the band have premiered its lead single, a post-apocalyptic melodeath rage-out called “Aftermath.”
The song, which you can hear above, is the first Black Dahlia Murder studio recording to feature founding co-guitarist Brian Eschbach on lead vocals, with the lineup also bolstered by guitarist Ryan Knight, who rejoined in 2022. Considering the blindingly fast, achingly heavy result, it’s quite a return.
“We wanted [“Aftermath”] to be heard first because it’s one of the faster songs on the album, if not the fastest,” Eschbach commented. “We wanted that very aggressive Black Dahlia melodic-death-metal feel coming right at you. Lyrically, it’s about a meteor that fucks up the whole planet, but there’s still people living. Kind of like The Walking Dead, but with no zombies — so you get right to how people deal with it. And by the end, they’re eating each other.”
With respect to Eschbach’s updated role as lyricist, he added: “Honestly, writing the lyrics for this album was easier for me than writing the music for the three songs that I wrote music for. I’d pick a subject, research it, and just kinda dive in. Even though it’s not something I’d really ever done before, there was a natural flow to it once I started.”
In contrast to “Aftermath,” a second single titled “Mammoth’s Hand” will be a “slower, groove-driven song,” while a third pre-album single called “Panic Hysteria” is being described in advance as “a very modern, classic TBDM waltz in the time-honored Swedish style.” For the moment, though, you can check out “Aftermath” up above.
Primarily recorded at guitarist Brandon Ellis’ home studio in New Jersey (the drums were tracked in Nashville), Servitude is out September 27th via longtime label Metal Blade.
This article was originally published on BrooklynVegan.com and has been edited by Revolver.