From Detroit, Michigan, those lovable bunch of stoners The Black Dahlia Murder returned to ol’Sydney town for what I knew would be a show to remember. Having seen them play at The Gaelic Club on their first Australian tour back in 2006 in front of maybe 25 people, to witness them now at the Manning Bar in front of a larger and more energetic crowd, it gives this bloke all of the warm and fuzzy feelings.

The Black Dahlia Murder and their brand of well-executed melodic death metal have been a band to keep tabs on since their debut “Unhallowed” was released back in 2003, and considering they tour non-stop, hopefully those who wield the invisible orange on a regular basis have had the chance to witness these cats up close.

One thing that’s always interested me about this band is that even though they take their music seriously, there’s none of the posturing that you typically see with a lot of other metal bands. Just a bunch of dudes that get up on stage, blast away, and you can see that they enjoy doing it – smiles all round. When you consider the ridiculousness of death metal lyrics, how can you be in a band like The Black Dahlia Murder and take it seriously all the time, right?!

Tonight, the band’s setlist covered songs from all of their albums and when they opened with “What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse”, to quote Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction, “I said goddamn!”. There’s nothing better to kick off a night of melodic death than with a face-melting banger. Sydney finally got to witness material from “Abysmal”, the album released a few months after their last tour here.

It would’ve been rad to hear the stand-out track from that album, “Threat Level No.3”, but hey, it was a pearler of a show nonetheless. Any set that starts with “What A Horrible Night…” and finishes with “I Will Return” – everything in-between is added bliss. Hell, they could just play those two songs, call it a night, and I’d be fine with that.

To those reading this that saw The Black Dahlia Murder this evening or have seen them elsewhere, you know you’ve witnessed greatness.

Review – Heath