THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – Constant discomfort

June 21st saw The Black Dahlia Murder release 5th album ‘Ritual’. Eternal Terror’s Peter Loftus spoke to Black Dahlia Murder sticksman Shannon Lucas to get the low down.

What is the latest news from The Black Dahlia Murder?

We’re home from tour for a hot minute then we leave for the Summer Slaughter tour in the states supporting the new album ‘Ritual’.

Tell us about the new album.

Ritual is our fifth release.  It’s out on Metal Blade Records and it has an occult style theme, which all the songs tie into.  This time round, we’re looking at ritualistic practices, serial killers, conversing with the dead and so on.

It looks like it has been fairly well received so far and it has showed strongly on the charts…

Yeah, we couldn’t be happier with how it’s doing, especially in this day of album downloading and economic woes.  The reviews have been great as well and all in all I feel like this is our best work so far.

I think it is fair to say that this is the most open and progressive BDM release yet. Would you agree?

Yeah, we definitely tried new things on this record. We took a leap and added a string section here and there and samples and so on.  We wanted the songs to have more twists and turns and to really create a journey into this dark world.

This is the first time you’ve kept the same line-up for two albums in a row. What difference has that made?

Ha ha! Well, the line-up changes are something that can slow a band down because it takes time to get used to playing with new people, so it’s been nice not to have to deal with those transitions. Plus, when everyone is on the same page things will obviously work much more smoothly.

What has Ryan Knight bought to the band?

Having Ryan Knight now for two years has given him time to become familiar with the way we work and he’s really spread his wings. He has contributed a lot on this new record and his writing is amazing. He always manages to raise the bar, pushing us that bit further… and his solos are some of the best in metal in my opinion. 

BDM have been lumped into all sorts of categories – metalcore, melodic DM etc. Does all this labelling ever become restrictive or annoying?

Actually, it is the opposite of restrictive because it has enabled us to tour and play with so many different kinds of bands and to have fans from different scenes.  If anything is annoying, it’s the mere fact that it’s pretty obvious we’re a death metal band. 

What non-musical influences do you have?

Star Wars

Which album releases are you looking forward to in 2011?

The new Psycroptic record should be coming out this year.

If you could pick any three bands to tour with, who would you choose?

At the Gates, Black Flag, Hank Williams 3

Tell us a little bit about touring. What are your favourite and least favourite aspects? Do you prefer festivals or club gigs?

To best describe touring would be "constant discomfort". Hurry up and wait! The perks are being able to see certain parts of the world and to play music for people that love to hear it.  Of course after a while its work and travelling is a huge pain in the ass.  Festivals are fun ‘cause you get to see a lot of people and your set is shorter but it’s more stressful cause there are a ton of people in the crowd.  Club gigs are hotter and the set is usually longer but it’s a little more relaxed.

What have you got planned for the coming months?

Summer Slaughter is coming up, plus more American dates. Then, we’re off to South America with Cannibal Corpse. And as much sleep as I can get.   Oh – and video games.

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