THY ART IS MURDER Human Target
NUCLEAR BLAST Aussie bruisers still peppering the bullseye
After the furore over frontman CJ McMahon’s departure and return, 2017’s Dear Desolation lit a fuse under Thy Art Is Murder that has seen them break the deathcore glass ceiling and play to ever-increasing and passionate crowds the world over. After sitting out recent touring, founding drummer Lee Stanton has left in far less publicised circumstances, yet the main headline is just how vitriolic the band sound on this fifth effort.
Following the religious indictment of 2015’s Holy War, guitarist and lyricist Andy Marsh once again trains the band’s sights on the powers that be, the opening title track’s grim industrial overtones tackling corruption in China, with vocals destined to be shouted back with passionate adherence. Death Squad Anthem’s gusty swagger and Voyeurs Into Death stamp down their own authority, while the simple repeating lick of the damning Make America Hate Again (see what they’ve done there) crawls into your brain and refuses to be removed.
Though Human Target is littered with moments for those looking to flail their limbs and unleash primal aggression, it’s the bleak atmospheres and morose pace that reappear and rear their hooded heads on Eternal Suffering and the savage Atonement that impress the most, with Marsh and fellow guitarist Sean Delander completing the deathcore checklist while adding blackened harmony and grander scope. Closing duo
Eye For An Eye and Chemical Christ take their cues from band favourites Behemoth’s recent vivid realms, clawing at the soul before again unleashing more belligerent salvos.
Though the subgenre’s sticking power has revolved around a simple formula that many are happy to see repeated ad nauseum, Thy Art Is Murder are proving deathcore can still provoke different forms of excitement while maintaining the bare minimum to urge to punch the nearest thing in sight.
FOR FANS OF: Fit For An Autopsy, Carnifex, Aversions Crown