THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER (Eng.)
– Hello, lots of thanks for answering our interview. How is everything going with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER? You will soon release your new album, «Everblack». Are you satisfied with the result obtained?
Things are well. We are on our way home now from Warped Tour, which was a big success for us. We have about a month at home and then we return to Europe for a brief tour with Aborted and Revocation. Everblack has been out for a while now and the fans seem to be loving it, which makes us in the band very happy guys. It feels amazing to hit the nail right on the head and really deliver something that will keep that fans gashes frothing, so to speak.
– After giving this album some spins I could say is even more melodic than your previous «Ritual». In some ways I think «Ritual» started, somehow, a new chapter for you. Was something conscious to explore and dig a bit further on what you did on that album?
I definitely agree that Ritual was a step into a new territory for us… the inclusion of samples and strings/symphonics as well as a focus on writing more dynamic songs. I also agree that Everblack is a bit more melodic, but that it is a continuation of the era that began with Ritual. We took what we learned there and applied it to greater effect this time around. People seemed to like the risks we were taking so it encouraged us to push things ever further… longer and more expressive solo sections, more dynamics and supplementary instrumentation.
– And after releasing a monster as «Ritual», did you ever worry about the fact maybe it was not going to be easy to top over it? Or do you just go with the flow and don’t pay much attention to that?
At first I was just intimidated by the work load that was ahead… if we were going to try to top Ritual than we were going to have to pull out all the stops. Hearing the new songs for the first time gave me a renewed confidence… every time we come back to write it is very exciting for me to listen and get into the new music. The guys never cease to impress me with how much better they get every two years in terms of chops and songwriting. It’s not just kids stuff anymore like when we started. We’ve been doing this a long time and this is the most professional level we have taken it to thus far.
– For this opus you’ve got a new drummer and bass player; Alan Cassidy and Max Lavelle. What could you say have they brought to the band? Personally I think the bass has more pressence now, and gives more heaviness to the whole music, and the communion between bass and drum is jut superb.
I agree about the bass sound… its definitely more aggressive and gels the guitars together in that wall of sound style. Max wanted something that had more growl… more balls. I think he surely achieved that. Alan brought his sexy and creative style to the family drum kit… he has a really smooth and stylish way of colouring up the fills. He is a groovy player, where Shannon was more robotic. He is extremely talented and undertook a tremendous amount of homework to make Everblack happen… we are more than sure that he is the right guy for the job.
– You have always had pretty singular lyrics, but on this album for first time you have focused completely on the murderer that gave name to the band on the song «In Hell is where she Waits for me». Why haven’t you done this earlier? And why did that murder/murderer interest you so much?
I’ve tried to maintain a style, a commitment to the macabre, for the most part. With the opener, I wanted to do something that would really grab the fans attention and really scream “we’re baaaaccck!!!!” I guess I was just waiting for the right time, and there was no better way to prove to fans who were sceptical about the loss of Bart and Shannon than to come out screaming with this ‘self titled’ song. The song itself has that blistering Unhallowed type feel, and I thought tackling the murder itself would just bring things full circle for us… the album came out ten years after Unhallowed almost to the day. It’s an anniversary song.
– In fact this time your usual kind of lyrics contrast with certain catchy moments. Was this kind of contrast something you were aiming for or something you think helps keeping things interesting?
I thought that using potent violence to contrast the catchiness of the melodic guitars of “Raped In Hatred…” would really resonate with people and I think it has. Also selecting a theme that metal heads can rally around like the Evil Dead series seems to be exciting people.
– All this about «Everblack» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Modern Melodic Death
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
Europe with Aborted and Revocation followed by a headliner in the states
