I remember listening to THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER back in the hazy, crazy, and longer-bearded days of summer 2002. I thought they sounded mildly like AT THE GATES. Then they grew on me like a vicious moss, slowly infiltrating my aural world, and converting me as a fan to their particular brand of amped up Blackened Thrash. Though THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER have never done wrong, they never really reached jaw on the floor levels in my opinion. With "Deflorate", though, the red in the sky is theirs.

Drums and groove are all over this monolithic display of Metal knowledge from the past and always looking forward, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER turning in their finest performance to date. A one trick pony as Death Metal may be, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER have successfully reanimated the stagnating corpse of truly Brutal Technical Death Metal without ever collapsing into Grindcore, which is no dime-a-dozen feat. Coming on like, well, AT THE GATES and storming with fury and conviction, "Deflorate" is a mile-a-minute ride into the very depths of heartburn (the warm feeling, not the acid), while visions of circle pits and windmills run amok in Metal dreams.

Guitars and bass intermingle and meedle just enough to not be pretentious while Trevor Strnad grates his vocal cords endlessly against the molten hatred bubbling forth from his steaming gullet. "Deflorate" is a tour-de-force, with force being the operative word. Cool album cover too. Don't know what it is, but it is cool.

Really, I don't know if this band can get better than "Deflorate". If you are not a fan, then this newest platter will not convince your palette. If you are a fan, you will be shoving this album down everyone's throat like it's the last meal they will get. THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER have officially arrived, so take heed.