“Mammoth’s Hand” is the latest single from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. The track comes by way of the band’s upcoming tenth studio album, Servitude, set for release on September 27th via Metal Blade Records.
“Mammoth’s Hand” is partly inspired by a scene from Don Coscarelli’s 1982 swords ‘n’ sorcery epic, The Beastmaster. “We usually like to give some idea of what kind of diversity is gonna be on the album with the first two tracks we release,” vocalist Brian Eschbach offers. “[guitarist] Ryan Knight wrote the music for this, and the slow rhythm made me think of these barbaric warriors riding mammoths out in the snow or that scene from The Beastmaster when the Jun horde takes the village.”
Eschbach further elaborates, “‘Mammoth’s Hand’ is a romp through a fictitious frozen tundra in which a clan of nomadic mammoth riding cannibals conquer villages in a time devoid of technology. The slow groove of this song is a vibe not often implemented by the group but immediately inspired a vision in my mind of a slow moving yet gigantic and powerful beast of antagonistic nature.”
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s first single from Servitude, “Aftermath,” was released in June to mass critical acclaim. Wrote Revolver upon its release, “THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s much-anticipated comeback single — the band’s first piece of new music since the passing of founding vocalist Trevor Strnad — is both a graceful return to form, and a ruthlessly ripping masterclass in death-metal dynamics.”
Loudwire hailed, “a lean, three-minute ripper and it’s this quality that drove the melodic death metal icons to lead with.” Consequence called the track, “a crushing introduction to this new chapter for THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER,” BrooklynVegan championed, “a melodeath rager that sounds like something Trevor would’ve been proud of,” while Metal Injection gushed, “As for the single itself, holy shit – THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER is doing Trevor’s memory justice while simultaneously putting out some fucking killer death metal.”
Guitars, bass and vocals for Servitude were recorded at guitarist Brandon Ellis’ home studio in New Jersey while drums were recorded by Mark Lewis in Nashville, Tennessee where the album was also mixed. Servitude was mastered by Ted Jensen.
Servitude will be released on digipak CD, cassette, and digital formats
Find preorders at
With the tragic passing of the THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s frontman and co-founder Trevor Strnad in 2022, band co-founder Brian Eschbach, bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and producer/guitarist Brandon Ellis were faced with a decision: Close the door on one of the most beloved death metal bands of the last twenty years, or carry on in their fallen brother’s charismatic spirit? After a period of profound grief and deep soul-searching, Eschbach moved from guitar to vocals, setting aside his lifelong identity as a live guitarist for the survival of the band. Former THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER member Ryan Knight returned to the fold to take Eschbach’s place on guitar. The new lineup made their debut in the band’s hometown of Detroit in late October 2022 for a tribute show for Strnad.
Fast forward to right about now: THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s new album is the one that many would have thought impossible. Servitude marks Eschbach’s recorded debut as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s lead vocalist and lyricist—and their first with Knight on guitar since 2015’s Abysmal. The members of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER know that some will be sceptical of an album without Trevor’s inimitable presence. But many fans have already embraced the band’s decision to move forward.
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER:
Brian Eschbach – lead vocals
Max Lavelle – bass
Alan Cassidy – drums
Brandon Ellis – lead guitar, backing vocals
Ryan Knight – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
