Death metal can get a tad exhausting. The race for who can blast-beat the fastest or shred the most impossible riff often comes at the cost of actual songwriting. Plus, those growling demonic vocals are just plain goofy. The Black Dahlia Murder loads its songs with many death-metal conventions, but they're tastefully done — or at least as tasteful as the genre permits. On top of that basic foundation, however, pockets of melody often sneak into the fray without compromising any of the band's grit or danger. All of this bridges with the old-school thrash on Nocturnal, the Detroit quintet's latest album — an extreme but never alienating listen.
