Black Dahlia Murder lives through personnel changes

The death metal band Black Dahlia Murder has undergone a few changes.

First off, it released its debut album, "Unhallowed," in June. Then the Detroit-based quintet took off on a national tour. During that tour, two members — bassist David Locke and vocalist Trevor Strnad — quit, leaving the rest of band frantic to find replacements.

"We had some things happen," said guitarist Brian Eschbach during a phone call from Buffalo, N.Y. "We were rescued by Set Ablaze bassist Joe Buccuto and Arson vocalist Anthony Ezzi. They are touring with us now. We've known these guys for a while, and we've toured with them earlier this year."

Eschbach said Buccuto has become a permanent member of BDM, but they're still looking for a full-time singer.

"Anthony is just touring with us," Eschbach said.

Black Dahlia Murder, named after the grisly 1947 Hollywood killing of Elizabeth Short, formed in 2001.

"I had been influenced by AC/DC, Deep Purple and Rush," Eschbach said. "But you won't find a lot of their influences in what we're doing today."

Still, regardless of the style, Eschbach said BDM's goal is to play as melodic as they can and still play death metal, a style of music that makes even Slayer sound tame.

"We were just a bunch of kids hanging out who wanted to do something," he said. "As we got to playing, we found there were more and more people who were into what we were doing."

The band recorded a demo of what would become "Unhallowed" and sent it off to a few record companies.

"Metal Blade was interested in what we were doing and we signed with them," Eschbach said.

But getting a record deal isn't the final step for the band, he said. "We're focusing on this tour, which will take us into the next month. After that, we'll take a break and start writing new material. We haven't had that much time to try anything new on the tour.

"Our future goal is to write better songs than what we already have and tour," he said. "We're having a blast on this tour. And we like to make it as lively as we can."

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If you go

What: Black Dahlia Murder with Arch Enemy and Hate Eternal

Where: Bricks, 579 W. 200 South

When: Saturday, doors open at 7 p.m.

How much: $14

Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499

Web: www.smithstix.com

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E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com