The Black Dahlia Murder will release their first new album in three years Verminous come April 17. The album will be the band's second effort with guitarist Brandon Ellis, which vocalist Trevor Strnad tells Heavy New York is one of the reasons why he thinks the album is the band's "biggest evolutionary jump we've taken between two albums."
"I think it's the biggest evolutionary jump we've taken between two albums and, in a way, 'Nightbringers' is kind of the flavor of what's to come, you know. Having Brandon come into the fold and him putting his stamp on that record definitely marked a new era for us. And this new record sees him and coming into like full bloom with the band, and he's really thrown down the gauntlet with what he's brought to the band this time.
"I hate to use word 'maturing' because I think that that kind of scares people in the realm of metal; you think of maturity and I think you think of selling out or being bad or something. As we got older as a band, I think that we learned how to be better musicians. I think we've learned how to write better songs and a lot of it is in really small details of things. Like, they're really small ins or outs of songwriting and we used a lot of clever ideas this time. There's a lot of textures and a lot of emotive parts, parts that kind of evoke an emotion in the listener, which is all you can ask for really.
"We want to be a dramatic band, a cinematic band, something that wants to feel like a story or a ride."
The Black Dahlia Murder will hit the road come April 20 with Testament and Municipal Waste.
Apr. 20 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Apr. 21 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey
Apr. 23 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
Apr. 24 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
Apr. 25 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Apr. 26 – Austin, TX @ Emo's
Apr. 28 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
Apr. 29 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
Apr. 30 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
May 02 – Mexico City, MX Festival (Testament only)
May 05 – Silver Springs, MD @ The Fillmore
May 06 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
May 07 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
May 08 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
May 09 – Boston, MA @ House Of Blues
May 10 – Montreal, QC @ M'Telus
May 11 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall
May 13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre
May 14 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew's Hall
May 15 – Columbus, OH ^ Festival (Testament only)
May 16 – Joliet, IL @ The Forge
May 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore
May 19 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
May 20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
May 22 – Portland, CA @ Roseland Theater
May 23 – Vancouver, BC (no Municipal Waste)
May 24 – Seattle, WA (no Municipal Waste)
May 24 – Las Vegas, NV @ Punk Rock Bowling + Festival (Municipal Waste only)
May 26 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
May 27 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues
May 28 – Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
