The Black Dahlia Murder

Detroit's the Black Dahlia Murder, named for the infamous 1947 slaying of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, actually sounds like they should live in Scandinavia, whence originates much of the frenetic brand of death and black metal that inspires them. Formed in January 2001, the Black Dahlia Murder followed their six-song What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse demo with the four-track A Cold-Blooded Epitaph EP, which was released on their own Lovelost Records. Having already made a number of acclaimed concert appearances (e.g., the Milwaukee Metal Fest), the group -- comprised of vocalist Trevor Strnad, guitarists Brian Eschbach and Jon Kemppainen, bassist David Lock, and drummer Cory Grady -- signed with Metal Blade in 2003 and was soon recording its debut album, Unhallowed. The 2005 release Miasma and 2007's Nocturnal kept death metal as the group's foundation, though the band began exhibiting an increasingly melodic streak that came to fruition on 2009's brutal but majestic Deflorate. The group's fifth studio album, Ritual, arrived in the summer of 2011. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi