the black dahlia murdertrevor strnad
21:06 Thursday, 12 May 2022
Inevitably every year the Grammy "In Memoriam" segment comes with some disappointment for hard rock and metal fans as notable musicians end up not being recognized on "music's biggest night." But with the death of The Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad this week, a new online petition is hoping to gain the attention of the Recording Academy, making sure that Strnad is remembered when next year's "In Memoriam" segment airs.
Strnad died Wednesday (May 10) at the age of 41. In their statement, the members of Black Dahlia Murder described the singer as "a beloved son, brother, and Shepard of good times, he was loved by all that met him. A walking encyclopedia of all things music. He was a hugger, a writer, and truly one of the world’s greatest entertainers. His lyrics provided the world with stories and spells and horror and whimsy. It was his life to be your show."
The singer was a beloved member of the metal community, as displayed by the outpouring of response and heartfelt stories from his peers after news of his death was revealed on Wednesday (May 11). He was often one of the most vocal champions of bands old and new in the death metal field while seeing his own band's profile raise over the course of nine studio albums, the most recent being 2020's Verminous album.
Seeking to alleviate the annual tradition of notable absences from the Grammy "In Memoriam" segment, journalist Bradley Zorgdrager started up a Change.org petition to have Strnad recognized. The petition reads as follows:
The Grammy Awards have a longstanding blindspot for metal, recently snubbing influential metal figures Joey Jordison (Slipknot) and Jon Zazula (Megaforce Records) from their In Memoriam segment.
The metal community just lost a hugely influential and universally loved member, Trevor Strnad, best known as vocalist of The Black Dahlia Murder, as well as for his encyclopedic knowledge of metal and fun-loving, kind spirit.
Grammy producer Ken Winston apologized for leaving people out, and we as a metal community demand — nay, kindly ask as he would want us to — Trevor Strnad's inclusion in next year's ceremony.
The outpouring of love seen from the metal community is unparalleled, as Trevor and his band introduced countless people to death metal, thereby altering thousands if not millions of life trajectories. Their music has saved lives directly and indirectly through inspiring others. And at the end of the day (or the end of a show), he was always there with a huge smile to welcome anyone into the community.
I'm sure Trevor likely wouldn't mind either way, but we as a community beg you to please honour our brother.
The goal was to reach 5,000 signatures and the petition is well on its way with 4,460 having already signed as of press time. With some public pressure in advance of the 2023 Grammy ceremony, there might be more of a push to give Strnad the recognition he deserves, featured alongside notable members of the music community across all genres of music. You can join the petition and add your signature right here.
