The Black Dahlia Murder today announce “Two Decades of Nocturnal”, a European headline tour, in Winter 2027, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their landmark 2007 album Nocturnal.
The tour will see the Michigan melodic death metal veterans perform a special set drawing heavily from the landmark album alongside fan favorites spanning their entire catalog, bringing one of extreme metal’s most beloved records back to European stages this winter for a series of headline shows.
Tickets go on sale today here.
Comments vocalist Brian Eschbach: “Super excited to announce this celebration of Nocturnal’s 20th anniversary which we will present across Europe this winter. The set will feature a great deal of material off the band’s third release. Can’t wait to see y’all again”.
Released on September 18, 2007 via Metal Blade Records, “Nocturnal” marked a defining moment in The Black Dahlia Murder’s career and in American extreme metal at large. Recorded with Eric Rachel at Trax East and mixed by Jason Seucof at Audiohammer, the album debuted at No. 72 on the Billboard 200 and earned the band Metal Hammer’s Golden Gods Award for Best Underground Band. With its visceral combination of flesh-searing riffage, mind-bending guitar solos, and disgustingly poetic lyricism, “Nocturnal” pushed the boundaries of melodic death metal with an intensity and craft that resonated far beyond American shores. It remains, nearly two decades on, widely regarded as the gold standard of modern US melodic death metal and one of the most important extreme metal records of the 21st century.
European metal press recognized “Nocturnal”’s significance from the moment of its release. Metal Hammer UK honored the album’s release era by naming the band Best Underground Band at their Golden Gods Awards – a prize The Black Dahlia Murder were too busy touring to collect in person. Kerrang! has consistently cited the record as a cornerstone of modern melodic death metal, while Distorted Sound has described the band as “one of melodeath’s greatest, most consistent bands” – praise rooted firmly in the standard “Nocturnal” set.
The Black Dahlia Murder have faced extraordinary challenges since “Nocturnal”’s release and emerged from each one stronger. The passing of beloved co-founder and vocalist Trevor Strnad in 2022 threatened to end the band entirely, but the remaining members – led by co-founder Brian Eschbach, who stepped into the vocalist role – chose to honor Trevor’s legacy by carrying the band forward. Their tenth studio album, “Servitude” (Metal Blade Records, September 2024), marked Eschbach’s recorded debut as lead vocalist and lyricist, and was met with near-universal critical acclaim across Europe and beyond.
Kerrang! declared that Eschbach’s vocal performance “fits perfectly”, and that Servitude “faces down existential concerns with determination and defiance. Forged from tragedy and loss, it honours their fallen friend while celebrating the survival of The Black Dahlia Murder as an ongoing entity”. Metal Hammer UK praised the record, writing that the band “skillfully picked up where they left off… deciding to channel and celebrate him instead and the results are glorious”. Distorted Sound noted that “Eschbach is a commanding, venomous presence and never feels like a hollow recreation of Strnad”, reaffirming The Black Dahlia Murder’s place as “one of melodeath’s greatest, most consistent bands”.
The band’s return to European stages in 2024 – their first since 2019 – saw them perform at some of the continent’s most prestigious festivals, including Download Festival (UK), Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium), Hellfest (France), Wacken Open Air (Germany), Brutal Assault (Czech Republic), Party San Open Air (Germany), Alcatraz Metal Festival (Belgium), and Bloodstock Open Air (England). Fresh from a triumphant Spring Fling 2026 US headline run and an ongoing co-headline North American tour with Arch Enemy, The Black Dahlia Murder arrive in Europe at the peak of their powers – bolstered by the addition of acclaimed guitarist Wes Hauch (Alluvial, ex-The Faceless) as a full member of the lineup.
European Tour Dates 2027:
01/14/2027 Frankfurt, DE – Batschkapp
01/15/2027 Köln, DE – Essigfabrik
01/16/2027 Bochum, DE – Matrix
01/17/2027 Berlin, DE – Columbia Theater
01/18/2027 Hamburg, DE – Grünspan
01/20/2027 Copenhagen, DK – Pumpehuset
01/21/2027 Stockholm, SE – Debaser
01/22/2027 Oslo, NO – John Dee
01/23/2027 Gothenburg, SE – Filmstudion
01/24/2027 Hannover, DE – Faust
01/25/2027 Prague, CZ – Futurum
01/26/2027 Krakow, PL – Kwadrat
01/27/2027 Budapest, HU – Dürer Kert
01/28/2027 Ljubljana, SLO – Kino Siska
01/29/2027 Vienna, AT – Flex Club
01/30/2027 Salzburg, AT – Rock House
01/31/2027 München, DE – Backstage
02/02/2027 Paris, FR – Petit Bain
02/03/2027 Lille/Wasquehal, FR – The Black Lab
02/04/2027 London, UK – The Dome
02/05/2027 Tilburg, NL – O13 Next Stage
02/06/2027 Drachten, NL – Drachten Deathfest
02/08/2027 Nantes, FR – Le Ferrailleur
02/09/2027 Toulouse, FR – Le Rex
02/10/2027 Fribourg, CH – Fri-Son
02/11/2027 Winterthur, CH – Gaswerk
02/12/2027 Audincourt, FR – Le Moloco
02/13/2027 Metz, FR – Haunting The Chapel
02/14/2027 Karlsruhe, DE – Substage
Line-up:
Brian Eschbach – Vocals
Ryan Knight – Guitar
Wes Hauch – Guitar
Max Lavelle – Bass
Alan Cassidy – Drums
Weblinks:
www.tbdmofficial.com
www.facebook.com/theblackdahliamurderofficial
