Band:	Thy Art Is Murder
Album:	Holy War
Style:	Technical deathcore
Release date:	June 30, 2015
A review by:	Ilham

01. Absolute Genocide
02. Light Bearer
03. Holy War
04. Coffin Dragger
05. Fur And Claw
06. Deliver Us To Evil
07. Emptiness
08. Violent Reckoning
09. Child Of Sorrow
10. Naked And Cold
11. Vengeance

Everyone stop reproducing.

And come listen to the new Thy Art Is Murder with me, we'll build a giant sofa fort and live in it. We'll call it "Brutalia". "Brutalia" sounds good right? Especially when you know what Thy Art Is Murder is capable of. Even if, in all honesty, it would be a bit of false advertising: "Bitternessland" would be more appropriate. We just suck so much as a species that even the Australian deathcore ambassadors are too tired of our shit. I know I'm not making any sense, I'll explain later.

For the TAIM-noobs, anything associated to their name is usually a non-stop deluge of brutal, technical, razor-sharp deathcore supported by vocals that would make a T-Rex jealous. D.T. Metal before me already noticed a similarity with Decapitated, and I would even go as far as saying that TAIM could be, or could have been until now, the deathcore equivalent of the aforementioned Polish band. Although, if I wanted to be less abstract in my description of what these people sound like, the simple mention of the excellent Carnifex would have sufficed. I just like to make things complicated sometimes.

One look at the daring alternative cover art of Holy War gives you an idea of the shift in atmosphere and style I was talking about. Those of you who have enjoyed their previous effort Hate - I sure did - will notice some changes such as less staccato and technical escapades, less "melody", a slower general pace, and much darker atmosphere - you know, to go with the even bleaker days that are ahead of us. There is an overall decrease in the level of pure heaviness, which is compensated by the fact this album just oozes bitterness and a certain feeling of impending doom. However, don't get me wrong, this release isn't less of a monster, it's just a different monster. Instead of slowly beating you to death with a thousand blows, it kills you in a couple of well-placed attacks, Dark Souls II-like. Do you understand the whole "bitternessland" vs "brutalia" nonsense now?

Third time is a charm they say, and it's very true in this case. This album numero tres shows a major growth in terms of songwriting, even if the structure of the opus is the same: ten tracks that are neither too short nor too long, that amount to a total of almost forty minutes. Everything is done in order to make the listener enjoy the songs and not focus on anything boring to talk about, like production. That's what I love: moderation in even one of the most extreme genres around, it shows humility and respect for the listener's nerves.

All in all, if you haven't heard Hate, or the début The Adversary, this isn't a bad place to start. There is no bad place to start anyway. Just start already. If you allow me to use a sexist joke to illustrate my point, Thy Art Is Murder's discography is similar to a woman's mood swings during her periods. It's never the same kind of angry, but it always comes from a "THIS SUCKS SO MUCH I WANNA FUCK SHIT UP" kinda place.