The Black Dahlia Murder Lead Guitarist Ryan Knight Talks Metal + New Record at Orion

With nearly 800,000 fans on Facebook, there is no questioning the impact the Black Dahlia Murder has had on hard rock today. It comes as no surprise to metal fans that Metallica selected the Detroit band to play on the Damage Inc. stage for the first-ever Orion Music + More festival in Atlantic City.

The Black Dahlia Murder's latest album, 'Ritual,' debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Hard Music Albums in June of 2011. The guys have toured across the globe in support of the new record and show no signs of taking a break. Hanging out at Orion Sunday afternoon, lead guitarist Ryan Knight covers it all with Loudwire.

Welcome to Orion, man! It's not your typical American festival. What do you think?

You're right, it's awesome. It's many bands, many different kinds of bands. It sort of embraces the European style of summer festivals.

Do you think this type of festival can be successful in the States?

Yeah, and this is a good start. It really hasn't been done yet. In Montreal, they have the Heavy MTL festival and that's going to be really good. This sort of thing for the United States is great. And it feels great to be here. It's an honor to be one of the bands that Metallica approved to be on this thing.

What sort of influence has Metallica had on you as a guitarist?

A lot. I remember in '90 or '91, I got the 'Black' album and sort of went backwards. They've influenced so many people.

'Ritual' has been out a year and a few days. Are you guys working on any new material?

Right now, we're just winding down the 'Ritual' tour cycle. We've been touring a whole lot. We'll probably start writing a new album in the Fall.

So there's nothing in the works right now?

You know, we have some riffs here and there, but no full songs.

Ever since the press conference on Friday, everybody has been talking about the state of rock and roll. The Black Dahlia Murder has an incredibly large and loyal fanbase. What do you think of the current metal scene?

You know, it definitely has its ups and downs. There are so many bands out there now, people have so many options of what they want to listen to. I think overall, the scene is doing very well.

What are some of the bands out there you like?

I'm really digging on Ghost. I just saw them here at Orion for the first time. It was a great set, they killed it. They sounded great. I was highly impressed. Outside of that, I haven't been listening to a whole lot of new stuff.

What are some obstacles metal bands face today?

The same obstacles everyone has, getting a fanbase. Today, it's really easy to get your music out there, but there are so many bands to choose from. You've got to do something that no one else is doing.

The Black Dahlia Murder hails from Detroit. What's the scene like in Michigan?

You know, I'm not from Detroit. I'm from Georgia and now live in Chicago. Chicago has an amazing metal scene. I've never played or been to a bad show in Chicago. I think Detroit is a little bit hit or miss.

Georgia of course has a great scene.

Oh yeah, man. Atlanta has a pretty good scene overall. I've played a million shows in Atlanta. Every show I've played has been good there.

You've got Orion today. You start work on the new record in the Fall. What's going on in between?

After this, we're going to go home for three or four days. Then we head to Europe to play a couple of festivals and some off shows in Russia. Then we come home and then go back to Europe in August to do the late summer festivals.

Go behind-the-scenes action of the Black Dahlia Murder's 'Ritual'