Ten Drummers We’d Be Happy to See Join The Black Dahlia Murder
With yesterday’s news that Shannon Lucas has left The Black Dahlia Murder, and that his current replacement, Andy Cassidy of Abigail Williams fame, isn’t a permanent addition to the band, we thought it would be fun to spitball some ideas for dudes who would be qualified for the job. It should be readily apparent that we’re not playing inside baseball here — we have absolutely zero clue who the band is considering for the position. So this is really just us being nerdy and having fun.
And on that note, in no particular order:
#1 – KEVIN TALLEY
ANALYSIS: Well, this seems like a real no-brainer. Talley has already played live with The Black Dahlia Murder, and he’s one of the most in-demand death metal drummers in the world. He’d be an amazing fit for BDM. He’s already in like eighteen thousand other bands, though, so who knows if he even has time for one more.
#2 – PER MÖLLER JENSEN
ANALYSIS: Well, he’s a terrific drummer, and he’s not busy right now… hmm…
#3 – MIKE SMITH
ANALYSIS: See above re: Per Möller Jensen. The presence of a legend like this would certainly shut up the final naysayers who still dismiss BDM as a trendy deathcore flash-in-the-pan.
#4 – ADAM JARVIS
ANALYSIS: If he’s good enough for Pig Destroyer, he’s good enough for anyone. But he’s already in also in Misery Index, and has just started another new project, Fulgora. So, as with Talley, time management might be an issue. Then again, PxDx don’t tour very often…
#5 – BRAD FICKEISEN
ANALYSIS: He’s a great drummer and if he’s been playing with anyone since his split with The Red Chord, he’s been quiet about it! But he may have decided to give up playing music full-time in his post TRC years. But if that’s not the case, someone should seriously consider giving this dude a call.
#6 – MATT KUYKENDALL 
ANALYSIS: Kuykendall is to All Shall Perish as Fickeisen is to The Red Chord. No idea what he’s up to now, but I’d be happy to see him in another project.
#7 – CORY GRADY
ANALYSIS: I have no idea why the band split with Grady in-between Unhallowed and Miasma; maybe they hate each other. If not, bringing an old member back into the fold is always a win with the fans, and unless Unhallowed was heavily edited, he can obviously play. So, yeah, I think this would be a swell idea.
#8 – RICHARD CHRISTY
ANALYSIS: Okay so it’s almost impossible to imagine that he’d ever join BDM full-time, but given that he’s their label mate (via Charred Walls of the Damned), if he just recorded the drums for their next album (like Avenged Sevenfold and Mike Portnoy, but less prone to being made fun of by me), that would be pretty sweet, no?
#9 – FRANK GODLA
ANALYSIS: Alright, I’m obviously biased on this one because I’m friends with the dude. But even if I hated his guts, there’d be no denying that he’s an amazing drummer. If joining BDM meant leaving Meek is Murder, I would probably cry, but if he could pull double-duty…
#10 – SCOTT HULL
ANALYSIS: BECAUSE HE’S THE BEST DRUMMER IN ALL OF MODERN METAL, GODDAMNIT!!!!
