Thy Art Is Murder – Godlike

Thy Art Is Murder – Godlike
Release Date: 22nd September 2023
Label: Human Warfare
Order/Stream
Genre: Deathcore
FFO: Fit For An Autopsy, Whitechapel, I Declare War, All Shall Perish, The Acacia Strain.
Review By: Mike Leighton

Thy Art Is Murder are set to release their sixth studio album, Godlike, on 22 September 2023 after a short delay. I have been eager to listen to this one since the release of their single, Killing Season, back in October 2020. The fan reception for their fifth album, Human Target, was split due to the shift in their signature sound. The singles, Join Me In Armageddon, Keres and Blood Throne have been a return to form; best described as a combination of the updated sound from Human Target with the heaviness and flow heard in past releases like Dear Desolation and Holy War. Deathcore heavyweights, Thy Art Is Murder, hail from Blacktown, Sydney, where they formed back in 2006. Thy Art Is Murder are currently made up of vocalist Chris “CJ” McMahon, guitarists Sean Delander and Andy Marsh, bassist Kevin Butler, and drummer Jesse Beahler.

First track, Destroyer of Dreams – starts off simple, yet haunting. Pounding drums, chugging guitars, like the drums of war. With it we get a fantastic intro performance by CJ leading into a melodic riff that creates the melody for most of the track behind a very standard Thy Art soundscape (not that that’s a bad thing). Fans of their older sound will absolutely love this, especially if they enjoyed the singles. As the song goes on, it really builds until an absolutely crushing breakdown loaded with guitar fills, and pinch harmonics as CJ screams the lyrics,

“This world is hell’s for the taking
Every hand becomes a fist
All hope incinerates
Take sight
Aim straight
Close your eyes
Annihilate”

Next track, Blood Throne, begins with pelting drums right from the start, layered over some really neat synth elements. The guitars so far have been on point, both in tone and heaviness. This track was the perfect choice for a single, and that will translate well live. This is a very bouncy track, and CJ delivers some really awesome twists on his normal vocal styles.

Join Me In Armageddon was the first single they released, and might have made some fans wary regarding the sound of the rest of the album. While it sounds like Thy Art, it’s also the closest to the sound of Human Target, which was bound to separate fans, by either pulling in new ones or pushing away old ones. Personally, I think the track is fantastic, they took the elements I really enjoyed from Human Target and created an anthem that is bound to get people going in the pit! The track also has several transitions in sound, so it really stays refreshing throughout. 

Second single, Keres, is my personal favorite of the singles they released, and one of the most true-to-sound tracks on the album. The drum fill in the beginning is absolutely killer, followed by an amazing performance by CJ throughout. The guitars really shine on this track, between leads and the rhythm, Sean and Andy really highlight themselves with their performance! The “chorus” is one on the album that really got me moving, along with the mid-section that’s filled to the brim with pinch harmonics, gutturals, and a sweeping guitar solo. Keres is one of the strongest tracks on the album up to this point.

Everything Unwanted, starts off with a hauntingly clean guitar fill on top some very distant and almost languid vocals before kicking off into something equally heavy and beautiful. This trend carries on throughout the song, with a really cool and soft, yet dissonant bridge before we get an almost heartbroken series of screams and wails from CJ. The lyrics on this track really highlight his writing skills, and easily make it the best track on the album for me.

“Return to the shoreline
Weathered from wandering
Memories of a better life
Left to drown in the sorrowed seas
Redemption but a fruitless wish
In an ocean of dying dreams
Great is the loss of man
Bound to his tragedy
A vow to all before me
Of might and flourishing flame
We share no life together
But we all burn the same” 

Everything Unwanted was quite literally everything I didn’t know I needed from these guys. 

The track, Lesson In Pain, is a fairly standard Thy Art Is Murder track, but they changed it up a bit, and gave listeners some really cool almost screech-like guitar sounds from Sean and Andy that make the instrumentation stick out. Godlike, the title track, is Thy Art Is Murder at their finest, and it showcases their signature sound perfected; truly godlike. I really enjoy when they include their faux-choruses because it really adds a nice flavor to the track, and it won’t upset deathcore fans who do not like cleans, but also allows fans to really dig their teeth in and digest the track. Godlike is a great track, for fans new and old, and is sure to ignite several pits when it is played live.

Final track, Bermuda, starts off heavily atmospheric. First, the listener is introduced to some dark, ambient synth layered beneath an eerie, almost foreboding guitar riff. The vocals come in as CJ screams about what can only be described as a landscape within a broken heart; someone who is lost and trying not to be forgotten. He seems to use Bermuda to symbolize how someone can lose themself, and no matter how far you search, it’s hard to see the light in yourself the deeper you go. It’s defeating, and you grow tired.

Bermuda is such a beautiful, befitting end to a powerful album.

Godlike, is set to release 22 September 2023 via Human Warfare!

(4.5 / 5)