Some people just want to watch the world burn and some bands just like to plug in and cause carnage. Australian deathcore masters Thy Art is Murder slot nicely into the second category. Following the success of their intense second album, Hate, they are now back with Holy War. An album which has seen the band leave behind their former lyrical inspirations and turn their mind to the real world.
It’s about a minute and a half into ‘Absolute Genocide’ that the first big chugging riff of Holy War comes crashing in. From there on out, there are more of those than you can shake a stick at, alongside the breakdowns that are part and parcel of this genre. However, those that cringe at the thought of hearing the same old rubbish all over again, needn’t worry too much. For Thy Art is Murder bring a technicality to proceedings which allows them to rise above the majority of their peers.
From Lee Stanton’s relentless drums, which are so precise that they sound like a robot on the huge ‘Violent Reckoning. To Andy Marsh’s riffs, which hit the ball out of the part more often than not and often come in so heavy you can feel them in the pit of your stomach. Thy Art is Murder are a band who know how to play. However, the star of the show is lead singer Chris McMahon, whose guttural vocals are what makes this band really tick. On tracks like the emotion wrenching ‘Naked and Cold’, he brings both anger and heart to proceedings. It’s a skill that makes sure you sit up and pay attention.
None of this would matter however, if there was no songs to back it up and yet on Holy War that is where Thy Art is Murder have really come on leaps and bounds. This is a tighter and more focused band and on these ten tracks there is very little fat. The title track is the perfect example, a crushing four minute monster, it sees McMahon repeating the refrain ‘we will all die for nothing.’ Then there’s ‘Fur and Claw’, which towards the ends shudders into a slow methodical riff as McMahon roars ‘Burn in the body bag, human parasite.’
Thy Art is Murder are growing into one of the best young metal bands we have at this point in time. They have the ability to blend crushing riffs and throat destroying vocals with a musicality that leaves you begging for more. If Holy War is any indication, they are going to continue going from strength to strength and I wouldn’t want to be the person who tried to stand in their way.
