Review of Thy Art Is Murder - Holy War

Hate, the 2012 second album from these Aussie deathcore mongers, was a solid slab of techy modern deathcore/death metal, that grew on me a little bit as time wore on. And now, three years later it appears the hopes of deathcore have been but on TAIM and Holy War as the genre seems to be in a bit of a rut or simply morphing into more tech death pastures.

And I have to hand it to TAIM, they didn’t take the easy route and go for the more trendy tech death or djent approach like some of their peers but simply stuck to their stylistic guns. No synths (Ok maybe a little), no clean vocals, no slowed down, ‘roided up djent stuttering or fretless bass tech, just pure, massive deathcore. And massive it is, if anything, go to deathcore Producer Will Putney (Fit For an Autsopy, Winds of Plague, For Today, After the Burial) has rendered the album with a huge, clean sound that at least commands some respect, even if haters will still bemoan the style.

And yes this is full of breakdowns and more breakdowns. And some of them are absolutely crushing, so if you are into that sort of thing, the likes of “Lightbearer”, or the devastating opening lurch of “Fur and Claw” will leave you with blunt force trauma. But if deathcore chugs are not your thing, even the most ardent of deathcore naysayers would find it hard not to have their neck snapped by the fury of the sub three minute “Coffin Dragger” or the shoulder snapping “Deliver us From Evil”.There’s is some minimal introspection in the deathcore maelstrom like “Emptiness” and “naked and Cold” but it’s  small respite from  the thunderous breakdowns and that fill most of the album.

Still, it is a pure deathcore album and though one of the better ones of the last couple of years, it has the sense of a dying animal, as it still clings vehemently to  the much maligned paradigms of the style (especially vocally), which will leave remaining teen fans yet to develop more mature metallic sense, spinning and kicking earnestly in the mosh pit. Or Mom’s basement.