CHAUVET Professional Helps Jaclyn Ash Master Darkness for The Black Dahlia Murder

	"The dark space emphasized key moments in certain songs, whether it's an intense lyrical point, a highlighted guitar solo, or insane drum fill," Ash says. Photo: Jenn Racho

Lighting designer Jaclyn Ash created a shadowy aura for melodeath heavy weights The Black Dahlia Murder's 22-city Spring Fling Tour, which concluded May 2 at Milwaukee's Rave.

Conjuring up broody color combinations and moving light in unsettling ways, including slow deliberate menacing patterns, she evoked deeply dark looks that reflected her client's chilling sound. Yet, at the same time, her design maintained a richly textured look.

"For The Black Dahlia Murder in particular, I wanted to find a way to visually express their dark nature without relying on total darkness or blackouts all the time," explains Ash. "Personally, I find something eerie about slow movements -- almost like a flashlight scanning through a cemetery. I wanted to convey that creepy feeling by incorporating slow, intentional movements, and then suddenly adding tension with a quick effect, as if something has just jumped into the beam of light. By combining those movement elements with colors of vile green, a murderous red, a fleshy pink, a frozen blue, or a vampiric purple, we can set the scene like a horror film, but with a less obvious approach."

Ash deftly worked her floor package to achieve this effect through the tour. Among the fixtures she relied on were 16 CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Squeek Lights. Included in this mix were four COLORado PXL Bar 16 motorized battens, four Color STRIKE M motorized strobe washes and eight Maverick Force S Spots.

She used this versatile floor package in different ways from venue to venue, always keeping "the complexity of the band's ideas" at the center of her creative vision. "There were definitely a lot of changes in scenery throughout this tour," she recalls. "I am grateful for Corinne Sumner, who was designing and operating for the direct support band for this tour who gave me a lot of support.

"Some venues only had conventional par cans in their house rigs, while others had so many fixtures that they required 11 universes and network control," continues Ash. "Some stages were very tall, whereas in others I could touch the ceiling by standing on my toes. These differences made it crucial to determine how we positioned the units on stage and how we focused the fixtures. Overall, some days were spot on and incredible, while other days I wish I had a do-over button."

Fans who packed houses on this wanted no such do over. From the moment the band took the stage, the audience was wrapped up in the moment, moshing and screaming throughout the 90-minute set to hits like "What A Horrible Night," and "Deathmask Divine," as well as new songs like Mammoth's Hand" and "Aftermath." Ash's lighting moved through it all like a haunting breeze on a shadowy night.

Though house fixtures may have changed along the way, she ensured that her floor package served its intended purpose. The PXL Bars were positioned on the mid-stage deck, the Color STRIKE Ms served as side lights and the Force S spots added dimensionality on SL and SR risers.

"The PXL bars were a big help in washing the mid-stage scrims and highlighting the drum riser, while also providing interesting zoom and wall effects," details Ash. "My side Color STRIKE units were essential -- they not only made sure that the band could see during their solos but also helped set the mood for the songs. The side beams provided precise movements and effectively broke up the wash, creating an intense visual that matched the nature of TBDM's music. They could also be directed at the backdrop, resulting in unique textures, which I played with a lot in the set."

Ash's light was key to setting the mood, but then again there was also the way she shaped darkness. "The dark space emphasized key moments in certain songs, whether it's an intense lyrical point, a highlighted guitar solo, or insane drum fill," she declares, then added: "Having focused lighting break through the darkness is very much intentional and powerful."