THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

INGESTED

UNDERWORLD, LONDON

18 months since The Black Dahlia Murder released their career-best album, and with tonight’s proceedings selling out in advance it’s clear that there’s still a warm things up nicely first. The Manchester-based quartet might lean toward deathcore slightly more than tonight’s headliners, but they are suitably grotesque and sludgy enough to impress. In the 15-plus years that they’ve been heading to our shores it is hard to remember a single duff show, and, once again, they prove that they are possibly the most consistent band in extreme metal right now. Over the course of a mammoth 19-song set, there really is very little filler and barely a dip in quality. Old-school fans lose their shit to the now 16-year-old , but the fact that the majority of the set is made up from speaks volumes, with the opening one-two punch of and setting the tone and bar for what follows. As great as TBDM are musically, what has always set them apart from so many of their peers is the sheer amount of infectious exuberance that the band possess in the live environment. Frontman Trevor Strnad waltzes across the stage with a massive grin on his face, imploring the pit to swing their arms with him in time to the groove of , and when the band stop to introduce the cameraman filming the show as it is streamed across the internet live they can’t help but hurl a hilarious volley of abuse at those watching at home – much to the obvious delight of everyone in the room. A predictably brilliant evening.