The Black Dahlia Murder (band)

The Black Dahlia Murder
The Black Dahlia Murder in 2016 (L to R: Brandon Ellis, Max Levelle, Alan Cassidy, Trevor Strnad, & Brian Eschbach)
Background information
Origin	Waterford, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Melodic death metal
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Metal Blade
Members	Brian Eschbach Max Lavelle Alan Cassidy Brandon Ellis Ryan Knight
Past members	Trevor Strnad John Deering Mike Schepman Cory Grady Sean Gauvreau John Kempainen David Lock Ryan "Bart" Williams Zach Gibson Pierre Langlois Shannon Lucas

The Black Dahlia Murder is an American melodic death metal band from Waterford, Michigan, formed in 2001. Their name is derived from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. Currently, the band consists of lead vocalist Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and guitarists Brandon Ellis and Ryan Knight. The Black Dahlia Murder has undergone various lineup changes, with Trevor Strnad and Eschbach remaining the only constant members, until the former's death in 2022, which then saw Eschbach take over lead vocals and Knight (who was the band's lead guitarist from 2009 to 2016 and rejoined the same year) replacing him on rhythm guitar.

Following the release of a 2001 demo album and a 2002 EP, the Black Dahlia Murder signed to Metal Blade Records in 2003, who released their debut studio album Unhallowed that same year. Out of the nine studio albums the band have released to date, the last eight have charted on the U.S. Billboard 200, with their fifth album Ritual peaking at No. 31 in 2011, marking them as one of the most popular contemporary American extreme metal bands. Their ninth and latest album, Verminous, was released on April 17, 2020.