Any band that has earned an army of devout followers through dropping seven killer full-lengths could perhaps be forgiven for thinking they could take it easy as they wade into their eighth release. But that’s just not The Black Dahlia Murder’s style, and Nightbringers is testament to that.

“I always feel a responsibility to the people who support this band when we start making a new record,” asserts vocalist Trevor Strnad. “The pressure that comes from people being excited to hear what you come up with next can be intimidating, but it’s so exciting that those people love you so much for just doing what you do. It makes you want to honor what you’ve done in the past, but also excite them with where you go next, and that definitely drove us on Nightbringers.”

Rather than meticulously plan things out or stick rigidly to any kind of template when it comes to writing, The Black Dahlia Murder prefer to let things happen organically. Nightbringers is rich with dynamic riffs that are at once fresh and classic TBDM, resulting in a collection that shifts through many moods and effortlessly incorporates various elements of extreme metal. While Strnad explores a variety of themes and ideas with his lyrics, they are united by the album’s title, which embraces a tenet that has been central to the band’s output since the very beginning.

“Death metal and nighttime are synonymous to me. We are the rulers of the darkened hours that the Christian good fears,” said Strnad. “Death metal is for free thinkers; it’s for showing people the path to inner strength and operating on your own will, instead of being told what to do and living in fear.”

Following this theme also motivated Strnad to forge into ever-darker territory, even when this meant tearing things up and starting over.

“When I think back to when we started the band, I feel very proud of everything we’ve done, and I also see a lot of improvement over the years,” says Strnad. “I think Nightbringers could be our finest hour yet. There’s so much variety and so many great ideas, and I think that this could take us to another place.”