Trevor Strnad, lead vocalist and co-founder of the American black metal band The Black Dahlia Murder, has died at the age of 41. His colleagues confirmed his death on social media. No reason was given, but contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Line was shared with the message.
“We announce with deep sadness the death of Trevor Scott Strnad,” the Michigan group said in a statement. “Beloved son, brother [shepherd] in good times, he was loved by all who met him. Walking encyclopedia of all music. He was a hugger, a writer and indeed one of the greatest artists in the world. His texts gave the world stories and spells, horror and whim. His life was to be your show. “
The band’s lead guitarist Brandon Ellis called him “one of the funniest and funniest people on earth.” The life of the party that is the murder of Black Dahlia, as well as every room he accidentally occupies. Lyrical author. Champion of the whole culture of heavy music. Also my biggest supporter. ”
The wider metal world also paid tribute to Strnad. Matt Heafe of Trivium called him an “icon of modern metal.”
“He was such a sweet man,” said Rob Flynn of Machine Head. “I had it in my podcast about 10 months ago, it was very open to fighting depression. It’s a sad day for the metal community. “
The assassination of Black Dahlia took shape in 2000, referring to the unsolved 1947 assassination of ambitious actor Elizabeth Short and quoting artists such as Metallica, Pantera and Judas Priest as influence.
After releasing several EPs on their own, they signed with Metal Blade Records in 2003, which became their long-term home. Their latest release for the label was Verminous from 2020. The title refers to fans of the metal, who are carriers of the cultural plague.
Strnad and rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach were the only permanent members of the band, which had a hesitant line-up. Their top-class album is Ritual from 2011, which reached number 31 on the Billboard album chart in the United States.
The murder of Black Dahlia behind the scenes in Chicago in 2006. Photo: MediaPunch / REX / Shutterstock
Strnad came to heavy metal as a child, obsessed with horror movies and fantasy. “I used to walk the metal aisle and look at all the artwork in the record stores,” he told Echoes and Dust in 2020. Once I really realized there was music for dragons, skeletons and things like that, I felt perfect for myself. Once I opened this book, it couldn’t stop me. “
He described horror and metal as “healthy outlets for negative energy”, although he acknowledged that being a lone fan of metal in his teenage community could be isolating. “I feel that the common man does not see dignity in our culture and our world and does not see how passionate we are, how he gives us so much life. It’s definitely essential to shaping who I am. “
In a 2021 interview with Metal Injection, Strnad found out about the harm of drinking while touring as a way to keep the person fans expected of him and the aesthetic pressure he felt as the band’s frontman. “It’s accumulated in a kind of self-doubt, in more anxiety for me, as the group gets bigger and bigger, and there are more eyes and more pressure,” he said.
“I want my 40s to be great,” he said, expressing his desire to continue killing Black Dahlia for another 20 years and for him to “become an older metalhead gracefully.”
Strnad said that being alone with his thoughts during the two years of the pandemic was “so dangerous” for him, and that he was exploring psychedelic and ketamine therapy as a way to break out of old self-destructive thought patterns and help push him. after a creative blockade.
Talking about his mental health in public has helped him, he said. “And I think it can help someone else understand that I’m a human being and that someone who might be looking for inspiration is also going through that.”
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