A lot of young metal bands don't get second chances when things go terribly and awfully awry.

Once we break down The Black Dahlia Murder's past for you, we think you'll agree with our assertion that after the release of their debut Unhallowed, the deck appeared stacked against this Michigan death-metal band. It seemed as though it wasn't in the cards for these kids to make a second album.

Here's the Reader's Digest version of the BDM story: band signs to Metal Blade, band releases Unhallowed, band goes on tour, bassist Dave Lock and singer Trevor Strnad unceremoniously leave the band while on the road and try to start a new band. The remaining members of the BDM soldier on, and try to replace their prodigal sons.

A death-metal soap opera, it seems. Things just fell apart.

Those are the kind of death knells that keep a good, young band down. Those are the kind of dramas that kill the dream for bands. Those are the types of events that most bands can't rebound from, especially when the band is so young and inexperienced.

But not The Black Dahlia Murder.

The Black Dahlia Murder, unlike the raven-haired actress they take their name from, wouldn't die. (Oh, and if you're like the members of the BDM and have a morbid curiosity about the Black Dahlia case, go to www.beth-short.com for more info! This is a music magazine, not an episode of CSI, so do your own research. We're not going to spend this article talking about the Beth Short case, because, well, the BDM are sick of talking about their name, and we're here to talk about more exciting things than band names!)

Now, back to the band ... A few months after the split, the lost sheep returned to the flock. BDM toured some more, fired their drummer in order to achieve a peaceful, intra-band coexistence, and set about writing their second effort, Miasma.

And what a difference a year and a near collapse have made.

Miasma is light years ahead of its predecessor. But collectively, the BDM are more mature and ready to conquer the metal world as arguably the heaviest band on the Ozzfest 2005 side stage. They're certainly the most deathy death-metal band out there, although guitarist Brian Eschbach won't cop to that categorization. He prefers to label the band as just a metal band.

Fine. So, now that all is said and done, Lock and Strnad are back where they belong.

"Yeah, Trevor and Dave took a little vacation," the low-key, 22-year-old axeman says in a somewhat soft, slow voice. It's clear that interviews aren't the easiest thing in the world for him, but we make do. "For Trevor to walk away - as he was the only guy who had been in the band with me the entire time - was hard, but it turned out to be a good thing. We worked out our crap, and everyone is getting along a lot better now."

There are no grudges in this camp. There is only progress.

"If we held grudges, we wouldn't have made the album we have made."

Miasma, another word for a contagion, presents a much more mature, focused, and tighter Black Dahlia Murder. There's more death, less black on the album. Though Eschbach's tone of voice doesn't escalate, you can tell he's excited about the record.

"We're refining our sound. We feel a lot better about how we made this album, and the songs on it," he explains.

The addition of new drummer Zach Gibson - according to Eschbach, the only non-video-game nerd in the band - has helped anchor the band's sound. Eschbach claims the title track is the song most representative of the band's sound, but that each tune has "its own distinct personality." The guitars and drums are the focal points of Miasma, and they shred and blast like a battlefield.

Speaking of distinct personalities, BDM are able to stand out on the Ozzfest 2005 side stage because they're the only straight-ahead death metal band playing this summer's stage, which is overflowing with Swedes and melodic death metallers.

"It's all about exposure and getting more people to hear your music," says Eschbach regarding the way the band is spending the summer. "We're not expecting any huge commercial success. If we break even, we'll be happy."

Sounds like BDM have their feet planted firmly on the ground, with no delusions of grandeur. They keep things simple in their attitude, and they let their music decimate the eardrums of anyone within a five-mile radius.

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