Black Dahlia Murder-Ritual
Metal Blade
June 21, 2011

The first minute of the album tricks me every time. Its a near silent string arrangement that I can't hear unless my stereo is turned all the way up. I always think that I never pressed play until the band comes in with the fast, technical and screamy death metal that fans have come to expect from the band.

The Black Dahlia Murder stick to the same formula that brought them notoriaty many albums ago. The guitars blaze through enough runs to make my fingers hurt. They don't shy away from the double bass or blast beats. There are enough heavy breakdowns for their daring fans to risk life and limb in the pit. The vocals go back and forth between deep voice and high voice. The deep voice is my favorite, as it has such an angry and menacing sound.

The Black Dahlia Murder know not to break out the toolbelt when its not needed. They have the talent and the know how to put forth a consistantly solid product every few years.

Written by: RF
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