On April 17, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will release its new album, “Verminous”, via Metal Blade Records. The disc is described in a press release as the band’s most dynamic, rousing and emotional release to date, and it achieves this without compromising one iota of heaviness. The official lyric video for the disc’s title track can be seen below.
“I think this is the biggest evolutionary leap we’ve ever taken from one album to the next. We stoked the creative fires with 2017’s ‘Nightbringers’ and it’s gone much further now in ‘Verminous’,” states vocalist Trevor Strnad. “It’s a very colorful, moody, and charismatic album that experiments with new sounds and ideas without losing the cutthroat BLACK DAHLIA edge. There is a lot of minutiae to digest. Plenty of delicious little Easter eggs woven into the fabric of each song. Each one is a living, breathing entity that will stand on its own as some of the best music this band has ever created.”
While the drums were recorded at The Pipeyard in Plymouth, Michigan by ex-bassist and longtime studio guru Ryan “Bart” Williams, the bulk of the album was recorded in New Jersey at guitarist Brandon Ellis‘s home studio, the Shred Light District, then mixed by Tue Madsen and mastered by Alan Douches. Produced by Ellis and the band, “Verminous” sees BLACK DAHLIA having a greater level of control over every facet of recording than on any previous release, enabling them to tweak and fine-tune all the small details right up until the point they sent it to Madsen in Denmark.
“Verminous” Album Artwork
“To say we were anal-retentive would be an understatement,” Strnad says. “Tue did an outstanding job. His mix is organic. Classic sounding. Not too slick. It’s got an old-school ‘real-life’ feel to it rather than being the overly polished quantized-to-hell drek that is coming out these days. We wanted the album’s sound to have its own personality, and he helped us achieve just that. Finally, Alan did a great job of smoothing out the final details with his mastering. He beefed it up into what you hear now.”
The only other outside collaborators with which the band worked were soundscape artist Michael Ghelfi, who provided the sample that opens the record and “sets the pest-ridden vibe”, and Juanjo Castellano, who painted the cover.
“It’s amazing and classically death metal cover artwork,” Strnad says. “I call it an evil underground sewer world, home to the verminous ones. If you look closely you can find all kinds of rats and bugs and critters scattered throughout. The amount of detail Juanjo put in there is second to none.”
In support of “Verminous”, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will first head out to South Africa in March, before hitting the road with TESTAMENT for a North American tour, featuring MUNICIPAL WASTE and MESHIAAK as openers. The band will also return to Europe this summer for the festival season, appearing at Hellfest, Bloodstock Open Air, and more.
In regards to the upcoming USA trek, Strnad comments: “It is a massive honor and pleasure to be considered a worthy peer to the mighty TESTAMENT. Being a fan of theirs since childhood, I have to stop and pinch myself to see if it’s a dream or not. Luckily, I’m still awake! To say that we in THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER are excited for this undertaking would be a massive understatement. Not to mention the added pleasure of combining forces with the non-stop energy of MUNICIPAL WASTE. Too f**king sick! These three entities together will be levelling venues across North America and leaving no head un-banged! This is it! The stars have aligned! Prepare to f**king thrash!”
“Verminous” is available for preorder at this location in the following formats:
- Digipak-CD
- Ltd digi-CD w/ bonus tracks (EU exclusive)
- Cassette
- Deluxe box set (slip-lid box, digi-CD w/ bonus tracks, purple marbled vinyl, 7″, poster flag, beanie, art prints (2) – Limited to 1000 copies)
- RPG box set (hand-numbered box, digipak-CD, 24p campaign booklet, dice (7), Dungeon Master’s screen, maps (4), creature encounter cards (4), blank character sheets (5) – US exclusive – Limited to 500 copies)
- Moonstone gray vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 2500 copies)
- Neon green vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 500 copies)
- Glow-in-the-dark vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 500 copies)
- Green w/ black splatter vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 600 copies)
- Clear w/ black, green and white splatter vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 800 copies)
- Clear vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 100 copies)
- Liquid vinyl (US exclusive – Limited to 50 copies)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- Grey / black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – Limited to 500 copies)
- White vinyl (EU exclusive – Limited to 300 copies)
- Pink vinyl (EU exclusive – Limited to 300 copies)
- Green w/ yellow splatter vinyl (EMP exclusive – Limited to 200 copies)
- Red / black marbled vinyl (Impericon exclusive – Limited to 200 copies)
- Clear vinyl (Impericon exclusive – Limited to 200 copies)
- Green / white split vinyl (EU webshop exclusive – Limited to 100 copies)
* exclusive bundles with shirts
