Rising above the predictable black din of contemporary death metal can be a formidable task, but Michigan-based melodic death rockers the Black Dahlia Murder manage to do just that on their fifth studio album, the relentless and rewarding Ritual.
Employing a lethal mix of old-school American thrash, Scandinavian black metal, Carcass-era grindcore, and classic dual-lead power metal, Ritual roars in like a runaway train and leaves the listener in pieces.
Stand-out cuts like “Moonlight Equilibrium,” “The Window,” “Carbonized in Cruciform,” and “Blood in the Ink” may borrow cues from like-minded outfits such as Protest the Hero, Unearth, and At the Gates, but the sheer stamina, unpretentious delivery, and attention to detail (pinpointed bursts of vocal flange, Iron Maiden-worthy staccato leads, and breakdowns that actually feel necessary) is pure Black Dahlia firing on all cylinders.
It's the band’s most impressive outing to date, and easily one of the best metal albums of 2011.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Shrine to MadnessThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | Moonlight EquilibriumThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | On Stirring Seas of Salted BloodThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 04:42 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | Conspiring with the DamnedThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | The WindowThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 03:39 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | Carbonized in CruciformThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 7 | Den of the PicqueristThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 01:30 | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| 8 | Malenchantments of the NecrosphereThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 9 | The Grave Robber's WorkThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | The RavenThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | Great Burning NullifierThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 12 | Blood in the InkThe Black Dahlia Murder, Trevor Strnad | The Black Dahlia Murder | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 45 mins | 104 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 338 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Black Dahlia Murder | Composer, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 2 | Alan Douches | Mastering |
| 3 | Brian Eschbach | Guitar |
| 4 | Eric Hoegemeyer | Piano |
| 5 | Ej Johantgen | Management |
| 6 | Ryan Knight | Guitar |
| 7 | Mark Lewis | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 8 | Shannon Lucas | Drums |
| 9 | Kelli Malella | Publicity |
| 10 | Jannina Norpoth | Strings |
| 11 | John-Paul Norpoth | Strings |
| 12 | Brian Slagel | Executive Producer |
| 13 | Trevor Strnad | Composer, Lyricist, Vocals |
| 14 | Jason Suecof | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 15 | Patrick Uhlmann | Backline Technician, Drum Technician, Guitar Technician |
| 16 | Valnoir | Artwork, Design, Photography |
| 17 | Ryan Williams | Bass |
| 18 | Matthew Woods | Live Sound |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |