Metal Anarchy

The Black Dahlia Murder have parted ways with guitarist Ryan Knight. With him gone, Brandon Ellis (Arsis, etc.) will be filling in for the band.

Knight issued the following statement:

“After nearly 7 years with The Black Dahlia Murder, I feel the time has come for me to step down and focus on other aspects of my life. The decision to leave was very difficult, yet necessary I feel for me to ultimately be happy and keep moving forward. I feel very lucky to have had the best band-mates/crew (past and present) to traverse the world, guzzle beers, and bring the rock with every night…Thank you guys <3, I’d like to give a HUGE thank you to all our fans for being so cool to me over the years, and all the hardworking people over at Metal Blade Records for their support, and general badassery. In the meantime, I’ll still be teaching guitar, working on new music, and just getting pretty domestic in general. Thanks again!”

Trevor Strnad added:

“When Ryan first joined the band, he drove from the hospital where his first child had just been born to begin practicing and writing with us, on the eve of the recording of our ‘Deflorate‘ album. In his years with the band, he made a lot of sacrifices to be with us and uphold our insanely demanding touring and recording schedule…He always gave us 100 percent, and for that I thank him.

He is an incredible musician and creative force…It was exciting to make new material with him, and his wealth of knowledge has left its stamp on the band’s music forever. I always knew that his time in the band would be limited, and it has now come time for him to go home and be with his family. Ryan, being the stand-up dude that he is, told us of his plans to leave the band more than a year ago, and with heavy hearts we began to plan for The Black Dahlia Murder‘s future.

We admire that Ryan went to such lengths to make his departure as easy on the band as possible, even going as far as to help us find a talented leadsman in Brandon Ellis – who has been lending us his tremendous guitar skills on the current TBDM tour…Knight is one of my best friends and I wish him the best in everything he does. He will always have a place here in the TBDM family. I look back at our time together with nothing but gratitude.”

In other news, the band has also announced that they will be performing their debut album, “Unhallowed,” in its entirety on an upcoming U.S. tour with Fallujah, and Disentomb:

04/08 Dayton, OH – Oddbody’s Music Room
04/09 Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant Street
04/10 Lemoyne, PA – The Champ
04/12 Poughkeepsie, NY – The Loft
04/13 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground (Side Room)
04/14 Amityville, NY – Amity Music Hall
04/15 Worcester, MA – The Palladium (‘New England Metal & Hardcore Fest‘)
04/16 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
04/17 Philadelphia, PA – The Voltage Lounge
04/18 Virginia Beach, VA – Shaka’s Live
04/19 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
04/20 Spartanburg, SC – Ground Zero
04/21 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
04/22 Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
04/23 Orlando, FL – The Social
04/24 Gainesville, FL – High Dive
04/26 Tallahassee, FL – 926 Lounge (formally Pug’s)
04/27 Birmingham, AL – Zydeco
04/28 Pensacola, FL – Vinyl
04/29 Houston, TX – Eastdown
04/30 Austin, TX – Mohawk
05/01 Lubbock, TX – Jake’s Sports Cafe
05/03 Albuquerque, NM – Blu Phoenix Venue
05/04 Tucson, AZ – Club XS
05/05 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
05/06 Las Vegas, NV – Divebar
05/07 Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction
05/08 Glendale, CA – The Complex
05/09 Bakersfield, CA – Jerry’s Pizza
05/10 Fresno, CA – Strummers
05/11 San Francisco, CA – Brick and Mortar Music Hall
05/12 Sacramento, CA – Boardwalk
05/13 Portland, OR – The Analog Cafe and Theatre
05/14 Spokane, WA – The Big Dipper
05/15 Boise, ID – Mardi Gras
05/16 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
05/18 Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theatre
05/20 Sioux Falls, SD – The District
05/21 Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
05/22 Madison, WI – Frequency
05/23 Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
05/24 St. Louis, MO – Fubar
05/25 Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theater
05/26 Grand Rapids, MI – Pyramid Scheme
05/27 Kent, OH – The Outpost
05/28 Howell, MI – Bled Fest