Live Review: The Black Dahlia Murder
O2 Academy2 – 20th January
Death Metal is probably the most extreme form of music.
Some would even struggle to call it music, claiming it has more in common with a chainsaw ripping through a steel submarine than Mozart. But when done to the standard set by bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Death Metal (or ‘Deathcore’ for the cool kids) undeniably requires the same, if not more, musical talent than any auto-tuned, same song rehashing, megabucks making pop star.
Ten days into their mammoth 21 date UK tour they hit Newcastle. Italians Fleshgod Apocalypse open things up with their standard, rule abiding death metal. Clad in blood splattered tuxedos and corpse paint, their music is every bit as savage as their image, with Francesco Paoli’s pounding beats keeping the venue rocking throughout. Unfortunately this means the keyboards are lost in all the relentless drumming, but nobody seems to mind.
After a 20 minute or so delay Skeletonwitch finally burst into a shortened set, apologising for the technical problems which held them back. This means less chat more growling heavy metal, which these boys from Ohio do so extremely well.
Extreme metal is often portrayed as a serious business; huge, hairy, terrifying men scowling at anyone who dare breathe, sticking to indecipherable vocals and thundering riffs. Then every once in a while a band comes along who break the rules, such as The Black Dahlia Murder, and bring a whole new edge to a genre starting to run out of ideas.
Their ruthless aural assault of blast beats, punishing guitars and roaring vocals with lyrics encapsulating everything from cryogenic freezing to living with the dead contrast sharply with vocalist Trevor Strnad’s constant smile. Conducting the crowd with his arms throughout and appearing to have the time of his life is reflected in the audience’s reaction. His vocals, switching from low down rumbling vocals to rasping, high pitched howls are what make The Black Dahlia Murder stand above many of the bog standard, stuck in a rut, Death Metal bands.
Touring in support of their latest album Ritual the set featured plenty of material off said album, as well as fan favourites ‘Everything Went Black’ and ‘Necropolis’, which went down a storm. The nearly capacity crowd proves that whilst Death Metal may not be, and probably never will be, the most accessible or appealing of genres, it is very much alive and rumbles on in the underground. Long may it continue.
