Band:	Thy Art Is Murder
Album:	Hate
Style:	Technical deathcore
Release date:	October 2012

01. Reign Of Darkness
02. The Purest Strain Of Hate
03. Vile Creations
04. Shadow Of Eternal Sin
05. Immolation
06. Infinite Forms
07. Dead Sun
08. Gates Of Misery
09. Defective Breed
10. Doomed From Birth

I have listened to way too many [insert any core] albums and have also seen the cream of the crop in today's ever so changing core scene. So, while I am not a die-hard fan of the genre I do enjoy the occasional madness it brings.

After their 2010 debut album The Adversary just got so-so reviews I was wondering how their newest effort would hold up. Well, to be honest Hate isn't better or worse - just different. Yeah right, just how does one death-core album differ from the other?

Ok, different. While The Adversary was a great attempt, it lacked some diversity and seemed to just be one constant noise; technical and fast as hell, but with no clear direction. Prime example would be the drumming which was just ungodly fast on their debut. Are there still tons of blast beats and triggered as hell? Yes, that's part of the appeal. But Lee Stanton toned this down nicely on their new album and it actually sounds a lot better. I guess lesson learned - don't be fast for the sake of being fast, make it count as well.

The vocals are a step up as well. Not only does CJ spew out guttural growls but he also takes a swing on "cleaner" singing in addition to the standard screams. It makes for a diverse listening experience since it's not just the same old recycled sound.

I do hear a lot of different influences on this album but not to the point of rip-offs. Decapitated on "Gates Of Misery" anyone? Even though Thy Art Is Murder tries to stay somewhat true to their roots, I think they took the Whitechapel route and released a more "melodic" album which highlights the solos as well as the breakdown in much better detail.

Sounds too cheesy? Well, in the ever so changing genre of extreme metal a band has to be flexible to stay ahead, and I believe Thy Art Is Murder did just that. The new album is less technical, slower, which makes it heavier in my opinion, and the overall ambiance is mellow. Well, if there is such thing as "mellow" in this genre.

So, did the band alienate their earlier fans with the release of Hate? Hard to tell, since the new piece is a heck of lot more polished than anything else they have done before. Starting with the arrangements of the songs and ending with the awesome production. I believe there is something for everybody on this album.

One thing is for sure though, Hate will open up more possibilities for the band since they mixed the aspects of technical death metal and death core quite nicely with this release. Listen to "Reign Of Darkness" and compare it to "Vile Creations" and you will see what I mean.

If you want brutal, fast and ear-bleeding music than you might want to skip Hate, but if you want to get down with it, or punch the air in the mosh-pit during one of the breakdowns - yap, that's the album for you.