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The Black Dahlia Murder - Unhallowed review




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Reviewer:
5.0

163 users:
7.67
Band: The Black Dahlia Murder
Album: Unhallowed
Release date: June 2003


01. Unhallowed
02. Funeral Thirst
03. Elder Misanthropy
04. Contagion
05. When The Last Grave Has Emptied
06. The Horror Cosmic
07. The Blackest Incarnation
08. Hymn For The Wretched
09. Closed Casket Requiem
10. Apex

Friend: Hey man there's a band on MTV right now, it sounds very good check it
Herzebeth: uhm?they look like good charlotte or something
Friend: No dude, check the song, man it sounds so like At The Gates
Herzebeth: well no it doesn't, but actually that song is not THAT bad?

Well that's what happened two weeks ago when my friend appeared in my front door with a "New" band called The Black Dahlia Murder, apparently they had this sound ala "Slaughter Of The Soul", believe me this band is far from that album, and is far from good or groundbreaking, This band is just another failed attempt to make "Revolutionary" music with Metalcore riffs, Growl vocals mixed with High-pitched ones, hideous bass playing, and well?amazing Drums.

The music in general is bad, a lot of cool riffs indeed but let me tell you this, those "cool" riffs after a while grow to become boring, the thing is that "The Black Dahlia Murder" creates just one riff per song, and then the guitar players repeat the same riff over and over again changing only the tempo which 80% of the time is just fast and then faster and so on, but in a hideous way believe me, The drummer is very gifted and the shitty thing is to see tons of talent wasted in a band like this.

So, contagion is the only enjoyable song in this album, some great riffs (wow I actually heard notes varying along the song), the drumming is spectacular as in every other song, again the vocals are terrible, and the bass-lines are tolerable, and in the middle it has a very cool breakdown (1:07), and well it's not brutal or anything but at least the simplistic solo sounds good(1:41), this song is the one I saw on MTV so I still say it's not that bad. The production is amazing (why Metalcore bands have always good productions and awful music?) the product sounds clean and loud, so a good point.

Anyway the same guy who recommended As I Lay Dying to me is the one who recommended this album, you'll say that I don't learn?but well I do:

Things I Learned While Hearing Unhallowed
-The Black Dahlia Murder is not, I repeat, is not Death Metal. It has some Melodic Death approaches but it's not Death Metal
-Never trust a guy who recommends you Metalcore bands, always check first if he isn't a Korn fan.
-In Metalcore there's no such term as "Repetitive riff", it's called a "revolutionary" Riff
-There's no such thing as a "cool" way of mixed vocals.
-Metalcore band members have this weird punk style.
-MTV sucks
-You can actually talk about Cemeteries with mellow riffs and dull vocals.
-Suicidal people have a crush on their diaries. (check the lyrics for Closed Casket Requiem)
-Never burp or fart when your girlfriend is around.(yes I learned that while hearing this album)

Written by Herzebeth | 13.02.2005




Comments

Comments: 15   Visited by: 139 users
29.05.2006 - 03:12
Endoftherainbow

I agree with you completely but if this album is a 5 in your opinion I would suggest their new album Misma to you becuase it is atleast 50times better then Unhallowed. I would have rated this like a two at best.
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22.06.2006 - 05:21
SepulchralOath
Account deleted
This review was hilarious haha. Superb.
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22.06.2006 - 06:36
Rating: 8
Dangerboner
Lactation Cnslt
A 5? Dude, that's way too low. I'm not big on metalcore, but I really like this album. I don't particularly care for the riffs, but I like the high and low vocals, the overall speed, and the drumming. The lyrics are pretty cool as well. And where did this "revolutionary" talk come from? I've never heard anyone talk about it being revolutionary.
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22.06.2006 - 16:49
Herzebeth

@pyroleprechaun: There was a really famous interview with the guitarist where he said "oh well, my guitar only makes revolutionary sounds maan!!"
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23.06.2006 - 01:53
Rating: 8
Dangerboner
Lactation Cnslt
lol damn. Was he being sarcastic?
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23.06.2006 - 07:34
Herzebeth

I certainly doubt so, It was a Vh1 interview or something, he seemed very serious about being a revolutionary guitarist with revolutionary riffage making revolutionary music...lol That's why I decided to apply that joke..I know think few of you got it...
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24.09.2006 - 21:52
TheSlaughter
Account deleted
Black Dahlia are in no way innovative... but they are certainly not shit... Nor do they write one riff per song. The only downside with the band is that their members are cocky assholes... but the music itself is quite good.

Last time I checked, The Black Dahlia never uses clean (emo) vocals, chuggy lame breakdowns, tight girl pants or huge record contracts with Roadrunner records, forcing them to do endless tours with with Bury Your Dead, Bleeding Through and Madball.
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10.03.2007 - 10:09
Paganblood
The Aryaputra
I agree that this band is not death metal, but it is somewhat like melodic death metal with somewhat bm style vocals.... but this album is in no ways similar to metalcore...
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that which shines without names and forms...
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23.04.2007 - 08:06
Rating: 6
Syk
myspace/bonerama
Written by Paganblood on 10.03.2007 at 10:09

... but this album is in no ways similar to metalcore...


Do you still feel this way man? If yes, maybe you should get a hearing test... the vocals, the obsession with groove, the attitude/lyrical themes, it's all there.
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death ? thrash ? death/doom/prog ? Hail Zoldon!

he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays
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30.04.2007 - 14:15
Paganblood
The Aryaputra
Written by Syk on 23.04.2007 at 08:06

Written by Paganblood on 10.03.2007 at 10:09

... but this album is in no ways similar to metalcore...


Do you still feel this way man? If yes, maybe you should get a hearing test... the vocals, the obsession with groove, the attitude/lyrical themes, it's all there.


I have listened to their old album unhallowed, and its music isn't metalcore, but I didn't know that they had REALLY changed their style to metalcore (I refer to their late releases). Now they're metalcore.
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that which shines without names and forms...
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09.09.2008 - 18:53
Rating: 6
Paradox0
Unasuming Madnes
Yeah I remember having this album a LONG time ago and gave it to a co-worker. Honestly Contagion is all the BDM I can take, but damn is it an awesome song (in my opinion).
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09.09.2008 - 23:32
Rating: 9
KlownvonnomaD

I was pretty shocking by the low score actully as i kinda liked the album, in my opinion its by far the only album of theirs worth listening to. It's definately not groundbreaking or innovative but still a pretty decent album.
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Minutes seem like days
Since fires ruled the sky
The rich became the beggars
And fools became the wise
Memories linger in my brain
Burning from the acid rain
A pain I never have won
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19.08.2009 - 05:52
wormdrink414

I have a love/hate relationship with this band and, in particular, this album. There are a few remarkable songs (Contagion, Funeral Thirst) and a few not-so-remarkable ones (the rest of the album), but the whole album has a the raw and organic feel of some of the best death metal albums. Trevor's voice was hard to get used to, but it has a rare raw brutality to it that metalcore vocalists, who have a similar low/high style, do not achieve.
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07.01.2011 - 18:06
Kennoth

Not particularly fond of pretentious style of the review. Frankly, I don't think I'll download the album, but Funeral Thirst was fair enough. Also for the vocals, isn't it better to have the exchange of low/high vocals, than the same vocals throughout the song? I think yes.
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*insert something deep and profound*
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07.01.2011 - 18:21
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
I too remember this to be a blazen ATG rip off but not an entirely bad one, I don't think this style was all that abused back in 2003. Could be wrong though.

Anyway this is way more enjoyable than everything that came after it.
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