Abysmal

For the Haunted song, see Revolver (The Haunted album).

Abysmal is the seventh studio album by American melodic death metal band the Black Dahlia Murder. It was released on September 18, 2015 through Metal Blade Records.^[7] It was produced by Mark Lewis, who also produced The Black Dahlia Murder's albums Deflorate and Ritual, and the band's former bassist Ryan Williams, who also produced their preceding album Everblack.^[8] It is the band's final album to feature guitarist Ryan Knight before his departure in February 2016, and return in 2022.^[9]

Abysmal
Studio album by the Black Dahlia Murder
Released	September 18, 2015
Studio	Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan (drums) Regal Fecal Studios in Warren, Michigan (guitars and bass) Castle Strnad in Auburn Hills, Michigan (lead guitar and vocals) Studio 53 in London, England (violin and cello)
Genre	Melodic death metal
Length	37:07
Label	Metal Blade
Producer	The Black Dahlia Murder
The Black Dahlia Murder chronology
Everblack (2013) Abysmal (2015) Nightbringers (2017)
Singles from Abysmal
"Vlad, Son of the Dragon" Released: June 24, 2015^[1] "Receipt" Released: July 22, 2015^[2] "Threat Level No. 3" Released: August 19, 2015^[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	^[4]
AllMusic	^[5]
Sputnikmusic	^[6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Trevor Strnad, except "Der Ton" written by Brian Eschbach; all music is composed by the Black Dahlia Murder

Standard Edition

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Receipt"	4:02
2.	"Vlad, Son of the Dragon"	2:56
3.	"Abysmal"	3:41
4.	"Re-Faced"	3:50
5.	"Threat Level No. 3"	3:46
6.	"The Fog"	3:50
7.	"Stygiophobic"	3:14
8.	"Asylum"	3:38
9.	"The Advent"	3:41
10.	"That Cannot Die Which Eternally Is Dead"	4:29
Total length:		37:07

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"We Dead Are Best Left Underground"	3:00
12.	"Hellion"	1:05
13.	"Der Ton"	1:20
Total length:		42:32

Personnel

The Black Dahlia Murder

• Trevor Strnad – lead vocals
• Brian Eschbach – guitars, backing vocals
• Ryan Knight – guitars
• Max Lavelle – bass
• Alan Cassidy – drums

Additional personnel

• Mitch McGugan - violin
• Rhianon Lock and Rachel Dawson - cello
• Bertie Anderson - classical vocals on "Vlad, Son of the Dragon"
• Ryan McCullough - MIDI voicings

Production

• The Black Dahlia Murder – production
• Mark Lewis – recording, engineering, mixing, mastering
• Ryan "Bart" Williams – recording, engineering
• Daemorph – artwork

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[10]	126
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[11]	113
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[12]	66
US Billboard 200^[13]	45
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)^[14]	8
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[15]	15

References

1. "The Black Dahlia Murder: New Song 'Vlad, Son Of The Dragon' Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. 24 June 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
2. "The Black Dahlia Murder Urge You Not to Forget Your "Receipt"". MetalSucks. 22 July 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
3. "The Black Dahlia Murder: New Song 'Threat Level Number Three' Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. 19 August 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
4. Benson, Schuler. . About.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
5. Jurek, Thom. "The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
6. "The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal". Sputnikmusic. September 19, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
7. "The Black Dahlia Murder To Release 'Abysmal' Album In September". Blabbermouth.net. 10 June 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
8. "Vlad, Son of the Dragon". The Black Dahlia Murder on Facebook. June 24, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
9. "The Black Dahlia Murder To Perform Entire 'Unhallowed' Album; Band Announces Split With RYAN KNIGHT, unconfirmed sources state his split with the band is due in part to Trevor's recent weight gain. However this growth in size is said to be contributed to his consumption of human souls". Blabbermouth.net. 8 February 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
10. "Ultratop.be – The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
11. "Ultratop.be – The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Black Dahlia Murder – Abysmal" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
13. "The Black Dahlia Murder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
14. "The Black Dahlia Murder Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
15. "The Black Dahlia Murder Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2015.