With Brian Eschbach stepping back and Brandon Ellis officially out, The Black Dahlia Murder are bringing in Guy Kozowyk and Wes Hauch for their upcoming festival appearances.
The Black Dahlia Murder are gearing up for Sonic Temple and Welcome to Rockville with a seriously altered lineup, and it’s got metalheads everywhere doing a double take.
Longtime The Black Dahlia Murder guitarist-turned-frontman Brian Eschbach won’t be performing at either fest, citing “personal circumstances” in a post to the band’s Instagram. Rather than bail on two of the biggest heavy music events in the US, the band have called in a ringer to handle vocals: none other than Guy Kozowyk, the throat-shredding frontman of deathgrind icons The Red Chord.
“We’re happy to announce that longtime colleague and friend Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord will be filling in on vocals,” Eschbach wrote. “We hope those in attendance enjoy these twice in a lifetime mashup events… I’ll be back this summer to melt your faces.”
Fans of mid-2000s deathcore might recognise Kozowyk’s name – his work on Clients and Fed Through the Teeth Machine helped define an era of brutal, technical chaos. Having him step into the spotlight for The Black Dahlia Murder isn’t just a solid plan B, it’s a full-blown event in itself.
But that’s not the only change on deck for The Black Dahlia Murder. These shows will also be the band’s first without guitarist Brandon Ellis, who recently announced his departure after nearly a decade in the fold. Ellis paid tribute to his time with the band, especially his years alongside late frontman Trevor Strnad.
“I’m proud of my contributions to the band’s legacy and of all that we’ve accomplished together,” Ellis said. “Unfortunately, the time has come that I must close this chapter and begin the next.”
Replacing him is Wes Hauch, a genre-spanning shredder with a résumé that includes working with Periphery, Devin Townsend, The Faceless, and more. Eschbach praised Hauch as “an amazing guitar player” and confirmed he’ll be performing with the band for the foreseeable future.
With two metal heavyweights stepping in, these sets are shaping up to be a wild ride – even by The Black Dahlia Murder standards.
MORE IN Music
