Author: Eyal Levi

Trevor Strnad is the vocalist for the influential melodic death metal band The Black Dahlia Murder. Since their formation in 2001, the band has released a string of critically acclaimed albums, known for their blend of technical musicianship, intense vocals, and dark, horror-inspired lyrics. Strnad is also a passionate advocate for the underground metal scene, frequently using his platform to promote up-and-coming bands through his columns and playlists.

In This Episode

Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder drops in for a wide-ranging chat about what it takes to maintain a long-term career in extreme music. He talks about releasing their latest album, Verminous, right as the pandemic hit and how the forced break from their relentless touring schedule was a much-needed, albeit unexpected, recharge. Trevor gets real about the initial weirdness of monetizing fan interaction on platforms like Cameo and Twitch after years of hanging with fans for free. He also discusses the current renaissance of old-school, authentic-sounding metal and how the younger generation is rebelling against sterile production. He shares invaluable insights into the band’s business decisions, like why they played Warped Tour, and how their perception has evolved from being lumped in with metalcore to being seen as death metal standard-bearers. For producers, he breaks down their shift toward self-production with guitarist Brandon Ellis, the conscious decision to stop quantizing drums to keep a human feel, and how they meticulously craft every detail of their music before ever hitting the studio. It’s a great look into the mindset, compromises, and work ethic of one of metal’s hardest-working bands.

Timestamps

• [0:02:06] Why Trevor moved from Michigan to Brooklyn for the death metal scene
• [0:05:05] Staying grounded by championing new underground bands
• [0:11:29] Releasing an album at the start of the pandemic
• [0:16:07] Why it took a literal plague to make the band take a break from touring
• [0:19:33] The weirdness of monetizing fan interactions on Cameo and Twitch
• [0:25:17] The current “renaissance” period for extreme metal
• [0:28:50] How the younger generation is rebelling against “scene” music with more brutality
• [0:31:34] The changing perception of The Black Dahlia Murder’s genre over the years
• [0:36:00] The “sellout” decision to play Warped Tour and why it was a smart move
• [0:42:26] Scaling back from 10 months of touring a year to a “lighter” 6 months
• [0:50:02] Overcoming stage fright and developing vocal technique
• [0:55:40] The meticulous, in-house approach to writing and arranging
• [0:58:42] Why the band adopted a prolific two-year album cycle
• [1:00:54] The importance of defined roles for each member in the band
• [1:03:11] How they’ve successfully managed major lineup changes over the years
• [1:06:57] The seamless transition from Ryan Knight to Brandon Ellis
• [1:11:54] Becoming a self-produced band
• [1:15:36] The conscious decision to stop quantizing drums and keep the human feel
• [1:21:20] Evolving his vocal delivery for the new album
• [1:22:52] Learning from fan feedback after the Deflorate album

This episode features producer Daniel Braunstein and his client Mike Stringer, the guitarist and songwriter for Spiritbox (and formerly of I Wrestled A Bear Once). Daniel is a multi-talented producer, mixer, and songwriter who got his start in metal helping to found the band Volumes, but now primarily works in the pop world. This combination of experiences gives him a unique perspective that he brings to his heavy music projects.

In This Episode

Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer and producer Daniel Braunstein hang out to break down their collaboration on the monstrously heavy track “Holy Roller.” They get into the songwriting shift from overly technical shred to bonehead, effective riffs, and how the producer’s role is often just to be a filter and stop a band from overthinking things. Daniel shares his “bathtub analogy” for leaving space for vocals and explains how his pop production background helps him bring a fresh, melody-focused approach to metal. They also get into the technical weeds, discussing the psychology of building trust with artists, the importance of committing to sounds during tracking, and why you should avoid soloing tracks while mixing. Daniel even gives a full, detailed breakdown of his go-to vocal chain for getting polished, confident performances right from the start.

Products Mentioned

• Dingwall Basses
• Xfer Serum
• Kemper Profiler
• Neural DSP Archetype: Nolly
• Neural DSP Parallax
• JST Gain Reduction 2
• Soundtheory Gullfoss
• oeksound Soothe2
• Valhalla Room
• Empirical Labs Distressor
• Antares Auto-Tune EFX
• iZotope Trash

Timestamps

• [10:54] Writing the “bonehead” riff for “Holy Roller” in two hours
• [12:31] Why overthinking songs can ruin them
• [15:11] The pop music approach to writing metal: focus on 3-4 strong parts
• [17:56] How social media raises the technical bar but can cause creative burnout
• [25:26] The value of human imperfection vs. robotic, quantized performances
• [29:02] The importance of producing with the live show in mind
• [37:54] The “bathtub analogy” for leaving space for vocals in an arrangement
• [39:23] Mixing without soloing and the story of the “fucked up” bass tone on “Holy Roller”
• [44:18] Using a synth layer (Serum) to create harmonics for an impossibly low-tuned bass
• [45:55] Using a Kemper to handle mid-song tuning changes live
• [49:22] How producers earn a band’s trust so they’ll accept creative input
• [52:41] The psychology of artists feeling uncomfortable when things happen too quickly
• [57:33] Tracking vocals with effects (Auto-Tune, reverb, etc.) to inspire confidence
• [1:01:34] Why you should commit to sounds during tracking instead of “fixing it later”
• [1:03:15] A detailed breakdown of Daniel’s vocal chain
• [1:17:21] The ego and jealousy behind producers resisting new, “easy” plugins
• [1:22:45] You can’t fix a bad song with a great mix
• [1:24:11] Why templates are crucial for an efficient mixing workflow
• [1:33:08] How working on pop music initially made Daniel a worse metal mixer
• [1:45:24] The insane story of recording Black Sheep Wall’s “I’m Going to Kill Myself”

Danny Reisch is a Texas-based multi-instrumentalist, engineer, mixer, and mastering engineer who owns and operates Good Danny’s Studios. His diverse discography includes work with major artists like Lizzo, Coheed and Cambria, and Third Eye Blind, as well as classic acts like The Zombies, showcasing his versatility across genres.

In This Episode

This is a really solid conversation that gets into the stuff that audio schools don’t teach you. Danny Reisch pulls back the curtain on the human side of making records, focusing on why people skills are often more critical than your technical chops. He gets into the art of managing a session’s vibe, from spotting red flags with difficult artists to gently guiding younger bands with unrealistic expectations during pre-pro. Danny also drops some serious wisdom on setting professional boundaries—like how to stop clients from texting you mix notes at midnight—without killing the creative flow. They also discuss why the old-school “monster producer” attitude is dead and how to navigate a modern industry built on genuine connection and respect. It’s a great listen for anyone who’s realized that getting great sounds is only half the battle; the other half is getting the best out of the people in the room.

Products Mentioned

• Avid Pro Tools
• Universal Audio Apollo Interfaces

Timestamps

• [1:53] Why a studio might fire an unpaid intern
• [3:50] This business is about relationships, not your Neve console
• [6:39] Why talented bands sometimes fail (spoiler: it’s usually them)
• [9:14] Asking yourself “Is it me?” when a session gets difficult
• [13:57] Developing your “spidey sense” for difficult artists
• [18:38] The critical importance of your first comment on the talkback
• [21:37] Gently managing a new band’s unrealistic expectations
• [24:32] The tough talk: When a band’s ability doesn’t match their reference tracks
• [37:48] Why the “monster producer” archetype doesn’t work anymore
• [51:04] Danny’s setup for effective remote tracking sessions
• [58:18] Untangling the “spider web of insanity” in a client’s pre-mixed session
• [1:00:24] How to rescue a “house of cards” mix without losing the original vibe
• [1:05:44] Why vibe sometimes beats technical perfection
• [1:12:18] When endless mix revisions start making the track worse
• [1:18:55] Training clients to use email instead of texting you at midnight
• [1:45:30] The intern’s real job: Be an invisible Jedi
• [2:02:33] The one thing that ensures a band *won’t* come back
• [2:16:24] Helping a band move past trauma from a bad studio experience

Brian Slagel is the founder and CEO of Metal Blade Records. He launched the label from his garage in the early eighties, famously helping to discover future titans like Slayer and Metallica. For decades, Metal Blade has been home to some of the most important and influential bands in extreme music, including Amon Amarth, Behemoth, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse, Gwar, and countless others.

In This Episode

Brian Slagel drops in to talk about steering a major independent metal label through the chaos of the pandemic. He gets real about the challenges facing artists who can’t tour and discusses how Metal Blade has adapted its release schedules and business strategies. Brian also shares the awesome story behind signing the genre-bending band Igorrr, explaining what made them stand out. For anyone trying to get noticed, he breaks down how the label actually finds new talent (spoiler: it’s not from cold demos) and why having a unified team with a laser-focused vision is non-negotiable. The conversation also gets into the psychology of managing artists, the evolution of modern metal production, and the biggest mistakes he sees new bands make. It’s a killer inside look at the business and creative realities of the industry from someone who’s seen it all.

Timestamps

• [2:28] How Metal Blade is doing during the pandemic
• [3:48] Managing the mental state of artists who can’t tour
• [6:20] Predictions on the future of live shows and independent venues
• [9:28] The decision to release the Black Dahlia Murder record during lockdown
• [11:45] The story of signing the unique synthwave-metal band Igorrr
• [13:01] Getting Corpsegrinder to feature on the Igorrr album
• [18:04] How Metal Blade finds new bands (hint: not from cold demos)
• [20:46] Why local “scenes” don’t really exist anymore
• [23:35] What Brian looks for in a band beyond the music
• [25:25] Why there’s less tolerance for “rock star bullshit” these days
• [29:18] Using psychology to understand and manage artists
• [31:12] The importance of laser focus and commitment for new bands
• [37:06] When the label gets involved in internal band issues
• [43:28] Knowing when it’s time for a label to part ways with a band
• [47:52] How producers are chosen for a record
• [52:43] Why bands need to sound like themselves, not their influences
• [55:04] Dealing with bands who want to self-produce to save money
• [1:04:33] The biggest mistakes up-and-coming bands make