Tag Archives: Caitlin Smith Ghost Cult Magazine

Black Dahlia Murder announces Spring Tour, Departure of Guitarist Ryan Knight

Posted on by

BDM spring tour admat

The Black Dahlia Murder has confirmed the departure of guitar player Ryan Knight, who had been a member of the band since 2008. Brandon Ellis, best known for his work with Arsis, will serve as touring guitarist in the meantime. The band has also booked a spring tour where they will play their 2003 début album Unhallowed, every night. Direct support will come from Fallujah and Disentomb.

Frontman Trevor Strnad commented on the departure of Knight and the spring tour:

“When Ryan first joined the band, he drove from the hospital where his first child had just been born to begin practicing and writing with us, on the eve of the recording of our ‘Deflorate’ album. In his years with the band, he made a lot of sacrifices to be with us and uphold our insanely demanding touring and recording schedule…He always gave us 100 percent, and for that I thank him.

“He is an incredible musician and creative force…It was exciting to make new material with him, and his wealth of knowledge has left its stamp on the band’s music forever. I always knew that his time in the band would be limited, and it has now come time for him to go home and be with his family. Ryan, being the stand:up dude that he is, told us of his plans to leave the band more than a year ago, and with heavy hearts we began to plan for The Black Dahlia Murder’s future.

“We admire that Ryan went to such lengths to make his departure as easy on the band as possible, even going as far as to help us find a talented leadsman in Brandon Ellis – who has been lending us his tremendous guitar skills on the current TBDM tour…Knight is one of my best friends and I wish him the best in everything he does. He will always have a place here in the TBDM family. I look back at our time together with nothing but gratitude.”

 

“We are very excited to unleash this absolutely crushing line-up upon you all and to play the much requested ‘Unhallowed‘ album in its entirety. The songs are sounding better than ever before, and we can’t wait for you to feast your ears on our debut album as it was meant to be heard. We will also be playing some bangers from our new album, ‘Abysmal‘, and the rest of the catalog…Come out and bring your friends!”

Ryan Knight, ex Black Dahlia Murder, photo by Meg Loyal Photography

Ryan Knight, ex Black Dahlia Murder, photo by Meg Loyal Photography

 

Ryan Knight commented as well:

“After nearly 7 years with The Black Dahlia Murder, I feel the time has come for me to step down and focus on other aspects of my life. The decision to leave was very difficult, yet necessary I feel for me to ultimately be happy and keep moving forward. I feel very lucky to have had the best band:mates/crew (past and present) to traverse the world, guzzle beers, and bring the rock with every night…Thank you guys <3, I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to all our fans for being so cool to me over the years, and all the hardworking people over at Metal Blade Records for their support, and general badassery. In the meantime, I’ll still be teaching guitar, working on new music, and just getting pretty domestic in general. Thanks again!”


Nails – Inherit: Live At Birthdays, London

Posted on by

Nails-Euro-Tour-2014

 

Buried in the heart of Dalston, Birthdays seems an unlike venue to host one of the US’s finest hardcore bands, Nails. Packed full of neon lighting and modern décor the hoard of hardcore and metal fans invading the establishment for the evening seem mildly out of place. While the venue may not have been ideal, this didn’t deter the fans as the show sold out a week in advance.

With only two bands on that evening, it’s a late start at half eight for Inherit. Heading up from the southeast, this 5-piece opened an excited buzz of people already crushing in to gain the prized places at the front. Playing a mix of hardcore and thrash their music is abrasive, launching into an all-out assault of sound. Vocalist Adam Malik is chatty, energetic and enthusiastic pacing the stage and attempting to enthuse the audience. Despite his best efforts, the atmosphere wasn’t there for them that night and the music fell a little flat.

The popularity of Nails is evident as the venue becomes a mass of bodies and the walls begin to drip with sweat. Although the venue may have sold out, but there was not a hint of selling out from the band. With a heartfelt thank you to the audience and the people who have helped bring them over, Nails seem genuinely touched by the reception that evening.

Not a band for long or gentle intros, the band catapult full force into the set. The energy and atmosphere is intoxicating as limbs began to fly and the crowd mirror the chaotic madness spilling from the stage. With such short tracks, it quickly became hard to keep up with which song was being played and what tracked had preceded that, but ultimately this was unimportant. Nails music may be carefully crafted from across the most violent aspects of both punk and metal but to really get the most from seeing this band live you have to put away the analysis and loose yourself in the moment. Their high-energy performance keeps the crowd moving from beginning to end, and while the majority staggered out the venue appearing to have been through a mixture of an intense beating and a sauna, the cries of appreciation at the end of the set were unmistakable. With the promise of a new album and a return to the UK, it seems this band are not a force that will be stopping any time soon.

Nails on Facebook

Inherit on Facebook

CAITLIN SMITH