From their record label’s website, “THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s new album is the one that many would have thought impossible. “Servitude,” the band’s tenth full-length, marks Eschbach’s recorded debut as TBDM‘s lead vocalist and lyricist – and their first with Knight on guitar since 2015′s “Abysmal.” I just had to lean into it hard,” Eschbach says of approaching Servitude in a completely new role. “Honestly, writing the lyrics for this album was easier for me than writing the music for the three songs that I wrote music for. I’d pick a subject, research it, and just kinda dive in. Even though it’s not something I’d ever done before, there was a natural flow to it once I started.”

The album has ten songs, and “Evening Ephemeral” is first. Out of the gates, I am struck with the heaviness and tightness of the rhythm section. The vocals vary from screams to some gutturals, and Progressive elements are also there. “Panic Hysteric” has a similar, energetic pace, and I get a little CRADLE OF FILTH influence here. “Cursed Creator” moves with a slower pace, and you can hear more accents in the guitar work. However, the riffs are just a bit on the thin side and too simple for me. This is sometimes an area where bands who are riffed base struggle with. “Asserting Dominion” reels back to the fast pace again. The band navigates every turn, and hits all the notes along the way, but the music just doesn’t have a lot of “life” to it so far.

The title track has a little more going on, but that same pattern of the vocal cadence over the guitars is still there. No one can deny the band’s talent, but the music comes through as uninspired to me. “Mammoth’s Hand” is really the first song where we get to hear the band’s personality come through, but the slow-moving pace exposes the elementary riffs. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t bad, it could just be better. “Transcosmic Blueprint” has a similar sound and pace once again. Judging by the near same length of every song, this is about what you can expect. “Utopia Black” closes the album, and it leaves me with a satisfying feeling but also one where I yearn for more.

Veteran bands like this who are signed to a major label often take the safer path, and that is what THE BLACK DAHLIA have done with “Servitude.” Knowing that their long-time fans were not up for much change with the new singer on board, they delivered an expected sound. I think Eschbach’s vocal performance was excellent on the album, they just need to take a few more chances.