A few musicians in the spotlight have the courage to talk about their struggles, especially in the metal scene. Since most of them create a strong and tough persona to carry the band’s brand, it doesn’t fit well when they share their weaknesses, making them look fragile on stage. However, it is a common struggle, specifically for the musicians performing almost every night and coping with their demons behind the scenes.
For the Black Dahlia Murder‘s Trevor Strnad, it was much easier to continue being the frontman when he dared to share his struggles with anxiety and depression. Even though he was open with everything he was going through, including his darkest times in the pandemic, the news of his passing still shook the metal community to its core. Losing the fantastic soloist, who had made a name for himself with his unique contributions to the genre, was even more difficult for the fans since they were aware of his battle with mental health.
Trevor Strnad’s Success Story With The Black Dahlia Murder
Trevor Strnad was a founding member and the frontman of the Black Dahlia Murder. The guys derived the name of the band from the 1947 unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, which people often referred to as the Black Dahlia. The American melodic death metal band became one of the more popular bands in the genre since its debut in 2001.
The band’s debut album, ‘Unhallowed,’ was released in 2003, followed by eight other full-length albums that all charted on the Billboard 200 charts. The frontman’s rasping screams and melodic death metal style separated them from others in the genre. Their success in the charts didn’t end there, as several of their albums were in the top five on the U.S. hard rock charts.
Although the Black Dahlia Murder had undergone various lineup changes, the vocalist was the one that stuck around until his untimely passing this year. The band released its ninth and latest album ‘Verminous‘ on April 17, 2020, during the middle of the pandemic. Although Trevor Strnad wasn’t aware of it at the time, ‘Verminous’ would be the last album he recorded as the band’s frontman.
The Real Reason Behind Trevor Strnad’s Death
This past May, the frontman’s shocking death announcement brought a heaviness to the metal community. His bandmates confirmed his death on social media. Even though they didn’t specify the reason for his unexpected passing at the age of 41, they shared the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Fans concluded that the frontman had taken his life.
Strnad was an open book when it came to his struggles with his mental health. In a 2021 interview with Metal Injection, Strnad shared that staying locked in his thoughts for two years during the pandemic was disastrous for him. “I figure it might be helping somebody else to know that I’m a human being and that someone that maybe they look up to for inspiration goes through it too,” said the frontman, explaining he aimed to help his fans who might be going through depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts by sharing his coping mechanisms.
The cause of the frontman’s death has never actually been confirmed. Strnad’s openness about his drinking issues, self-doubt, anxiety, and depression has led fans to assume that all the treatments and measures he had taken weren’t strong enough to keep the lead singer from continuing his legacy with the Black Dahlia Murder.
