Unhallowed

Unhallowed is the debut by The Black Dahlia Murder, the American melodic death metal band formed in Waterford, Michigan in 2001. The band's name derives from the 1947 unsolved "Black Dahlia" murder. Deeply influenced by Swedish melodic death such as At the Gates, Carcass and Dissection while injecting metalcore aggression, it is a record on which high-speed twin guitars and sharp roars run throughout. Released through Metal Blade, it vividly announced the arrival of a new generation. Vocalist Trevor Strnad freely alternates shrieking highs and earth-crawling lows, constructing a lyrical world like a horror film. From the ferocious drive of "Funeral Thirst," which got a video, to "Thy Horror Cosmic," dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft, and "The Blackest Incarnation," the young band's skill and impulse burst out as one. Still at a stage of searching for its own identity, it is a powerful starting point packed throughout with the groundwork hinting at the fame to come.