Billy Gamble for Thrashpit: What are your initial thoughts on joining the Black Dahlia Murder? Were you a fan before?

Bart Williams: I actually had known the guys for a while because I was from Detroit and I worked at a recording studio called Cloud City, which is where they recorded Unhallowed. I met them through that and its how I got to know them because I was an engineer on the record. They then asked me to fill in originally and I was stoked because I always thought that they were one of the better bands around Michigan and especially even more than that, around the states. I was stoked that they first asked me to fill in and when they wanted me to stay permanently I jumped on it. I was a fan before. I liked Unhallowed but Miasma really blew me away.

Thrashpit: How do you like Nocturnal compared to previous Black Dahlia Murder records?

Bart: It's a lot different perspective because this is my first record where I was involved in the writing process and seeing everything from the ground up. I think the songs are some of the best songs we have. The songs are tight. Shannon being a new member as well has really stepped it up.

Thrashpit: Being an engineer did you contribute a lot of the tech?

Bart: I think when we were in the studio I had kind of an extra job double-checking when everything was done. When a track was done I'd give it a listen through with Eric. It was cool being in studios where they put out records that I as just a producer/engineer could look up too and like. Being in those studios was cool with Eric Rachel and Jake Suecof at Audio Hammer in Florida. I think I had a little extra hand in the recording stuff, but I tried to stay out of those guys' way too because I know they know what they're doing.

Thrashpit: How long would you say it'd take to write a song?

Bart: Brian does the bulk of the song writing. He'll come to us with three quarters of a song done that had been recorded on his computer. This time when we didn't have a drummer while we were writing we got a home pro-tools set up so we could start writing even though we didn't have a drummer. For him to write a song it'd take a few days to a couple weeks. It was a pretty rushed process because we had a time frame. Brian really stepped up and I think it turned out pretty well.

Thrashpit: How did you guys get Kristian Wahlin to do your album art and how excited was the band when you all learned that he was doing you cover?

Bart: We wanted it to look like a classic metal record so he was the obvious choice and we didn't have any idea going in what it was going to look like. We gave him the name of the record and some general themes. We were actually in the studio when it got e-mailed to us and I know when I saw it I was blown away because it looks so evil and awesome. We wanted that kind of style so we went to the man that does it best.

Thrashpit: Black Dahlia Murder videos are usually pretty happy and upbeat party videos---have you guys ever considered going in darker direction?

Bart: I don't know. Videos for us are usually an afterthought because we put so much energy into the music, live shows, and touring. The videos that we have are fun and people dig them. We're not acting like there's no big production thing. I think for the next video I think we're going to get away from the party video vide and have some sort of theme. I can't give away too much but we're going to have to get away from the same type of video we've been doing in the past.

Thrashpit: How was the tour lineup figured out? Why 3 Inches of Blood, Hate Eternal, and Decrepit Birth?

Bart: These were all bands that we liked. The guys have known 3 Inches for a while. They're really cool dudes. We dig their music. We picked bands that we wanted to play with and hear every night. Hate Eternal is awesome every night. We look up to those guys, they're awesome. 3 Inches is our good friends. Decrepit Birth is on one of their first real tours and they're stoked to be out here and we're stoked to have them. They're awesome every night, really tight and technical.

Thrashpit: Nocturnal is a lot more Satanic than past Black Dahlia Murder, was black metal a big influence on that record?

Bart: Oh for sure. We all like Dissection. Trevor and I really like the new Watain record. I don't get into all the black metal but there's definitely a chunk I like. Trevor also wanted to do more traditional metal lyrics about goblins, monsters, Satan, all that stuff. So a natural choice for a dark record, we wanted a dark record and Satan is pretty dark. I think Trevor really went out of his way to make sure the lyrics were on point. I think he did a good job. I'm stoked off the themes.

Thrashpit: Do you think death metal is becoming what nu-metal was in the 90s?

Bart: I hope not. There's always going to be something that is going to be the new thing. I don't know that's a good question. We have to wait and see what happens. There are a lot of kids getting into extreme music right now, especially bands like Job for a Cowboy opening up the doorway to younger fans. The test will be if those metal fans will stick around or if they'll just move to the next thing. Right now metal is bigger than ever, especially death metal and extreme metal in general, and for us it's awesome. We're happy about it. Hopefully it'll last, but if it doesn't we'll keep doing what we're doing.

Thrashpit: As a band associated with death metal how does it feel to know your album debuted on the Billboard charts? Did you expect that?

Bart: It's crazy, man! As a kid playing in local bands I would never expect being in a band that would debut on the Billboard charts at all. It's pretty unbelievable. CDs are almost a dying medium with the Internet so to sell CDs at all, we're thankful for it and it's cool.

Thrashpit: Is there anything that you'd change about the album?

Bart: There are a few production things that as an engineer stick out. Things that the average person wouldn't notice. Like squeaks on a guitar, or levels on symbols. Everything else came out pretty much how we envisioned it. You are your own worst critic and I could go through the album and find things that could've been better. If we'd recorded those songs right now after playing them out a bunch of times the performances would even be better. When you write a new song and record it it's still going to be fresh. Still, there's not too much I'd change.

Thrashpit: Has the transition of new drummer Shannon Lucas been difficult at all?

Bart: The search was more difficult than the transition. Shannon is awesome. His influences are right in mind with our influences. He knows what we want; he's a tight player, easy to get along with. That part of it wasn't hard at all; the hard part was finding him. It's been going pretty well and like Shannon and hope he sticks around.

Thrashpit: Did you guys go through a lot of people?

Bart: Yeah, we had an Internet audition type thing with lots of people playing songs. From there we'd pick the ones that were good and bring them out to Detroit to jam with us. We went through a lot of dudes and saw a lot of good drummers. But we didn't want to settle for anything until we were really happy with it. We know how important the drumming is in death metal. All the kids know Shannon Lucas is our drummer because in death metal the drumming is one of the focal points and I think we really nailed it.

Thrashpit: Being new to The Black Dahlia Murder, what has been your favorite moment thus far since joining?

Bart: I think playing the Wacken Open Air Festival was pretty cool. It's pretty exclusive as far as what bands get to play. We played first thing in the morning. To play in front of that many die-hard metal fans, those kids aren't the fly by night metal kids. Those are the real fans.

Thrashpit: What are the Black Dahlia Murder's summer plans?

Bart: I can't really say. They're some things in the works but nothings confirmed so I can't say. After this tour we're going to Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South America. That's gonna be cool because we've never been there before. It should be warm!

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