Black Dahlia Murder may be the best name for a death-metal act ever. The Detroit quintet took its name from a gruesome 1947 unsolved murder case in which a 22-year-old aspiring actress named Elizabeth Short (nicknamed the Black Dahlia for her ink-hued hair) was carved up with a butcher knife, drained of blood and sexually assaulted. So, perfect name for a band, right? At any rate, those who refuse to believe that death metal and melody can coexist shouldn't tell this Michigan powerhouse, which blends plenty of tunefulness into songs about, well, murder, dismemberment and sexual assault. The band kick-started its career with an EP titled A Cold-Blooded Epitaph. Metal Blade was impressed enough to sign Black Dahlia Murder and issue its debut full-length, Unhallowed, a near-perfect blend of Swedish death metal and Florida-style thrash.
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