LIVE REVIEW: Thy Art Is Murder @ Academy, Manchester

For years, Australia’s THY ART IS MURDER have sat in the upper echelons of deathcore thanks to their consistently strong studio output and fierce live reputation. Returning with this year’s Godlike, and navigating controversy surrounding the dismissal of longstanding vocalist CJ McMahon, the band are back on UK shores for the first time for three years in a tour package that is a deathcore fan’s wet dream.

With tonight’s show in Manchester sold-out, numerous bodies are congregated as California’s SPITE arrive to the stage and right from the off, the band set the tempo sky-high. A one-two opening punch of Made To Please and Caved In (both taken from last year’s brutal Dedication To Flesh) has the crowd bouncing and the pits raging as the groove-laden riffs hammer home and Darius Tehrani snarls and shrieks with the utmost ease. Tehrani prowls the large stage with endless enthusiasm, demanding more from the crowd, who willingly oblige, and over the course of 30-high octane minutes, the band succeed in setting an opening statement of intent.

Rating: 8/10

Fresh from a summer festival run, including a booming display at this year’s Bloodstock Festival, New Jersey’s FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY arrive in Manchester with the wind in their collective sails. And as A Higher Level Of Hate drops, the crowd proceed to lose their collective shit and the band are riding on momentum. The grooves, bends and breakdowns on The Sea Of Tragic Beasts translates impeccably well in the live environment, and in frontman Joe Badolato, the band have a natural focal point as he leads the aural assault with ease. Although it is slightly disappointing to experience practically the identical setlist to what we got during this summer’s festival season, there’s no doubting the band are a well-oiled deathcore machine. And as Far From Heaven closes the set in thundering fashion, it’s clear that FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY are seriously staking their claim as one of the greats in the deathcore scene.

Rating: 8/10

Recognised as one of the long-standing torchbearers for deathcore, WHITECHAPEL‘s musical evolution has seen them extend their roots from traditional deathcore to more groove and progressive elements. As such, what we get in Manchester is a nicely rounded set comprising of the band’s entire musical palette but there is one thing that is consistent: their potency for heaviness. Set openers, I Will Find You and A Bloodsoaked Symphony, demonstrate the band’s newest era as these cuts from 2021’s Kin sound absolutely massive as the riffs connect and Phil Bozeman‘s vocals are utterly effortless. From there, WHITECHAPEL just ooze quality and the crowd lap up every moment. The dense tones of The Saw Is The Law has the crowd bouncing and the pits surge in size, We Are One sees the band up the intensity as drummer Brandon Zackey leads the aural bombardment, and a venomous This Is Exile rewinds the clock 15 years as WHITECHAPEL end their time in Manchester thundering the tune that was at the epicentre of deathcore’s first movement. Their sound might have expanded to new pastures, but WHITECHAPEL are still very much pulling the strings as one of deathcore’s puppeteers.

Rating: 9/10

The night may have been chocker with breakdowns and aural venom, but there’s nothing quite like seeing a ton of heavy music fans raving about to the VENGABOYS as they patiently await tonight’s headliners. But, once the silliness subsides, and the Aussie mob take to the stage, the intensity surges as a quick-fire drop of Destroyer Of Dreams and Slaves Beyond Death lights the fuse.

The crowd’s attention is captured in that moment and from there, THY ART IS MURDER refuse to loosen the stranglehold and continue to pummel the crowd into obliteration. Death Squad Anthem is the soundtrack the apocalypse, Holy War‘s sinister guitarwork from Andy Marsh and Sean Delander has enough bite to keep the crowd on tenterhooks, and after all this time; The Purest Strain Of Hate is still an absolute deathcore anthem. And cuts from Godlike, such as Bermuda and Keres, all feel comfortably at home next to the band’s celebrated back catalogue.

Much has been made of CJ McMahon‘s dismissal from the band and those that had experienced him live in years prior knew of his stage presence, so there was an air of trepidation towards new vocalist; Tyler Miller. Fortunately though, the AVERSIONS CROWN frontman does an impeccable job leading the charge as his range of guttural growls boom and he has enough energy and enthusiasm to keep eyes fixated towards him. What could have been a bumpy transition into the band’s fold seemingly has gone smoothly as he resembles a well-oiled cog in the THY ART machine.

As they close with a triumphant finale of Reign Of Darkness and Puppet Master, a sold-out crowd in Manchester give one final splurge of adrenaline as they collectively lose their minds and lap up the aural battering. Whilst newer bands have re-ignited attention towards deathcore, tonight proves that the old guard still have plenty of fight left within them left. And for those immersed in the genre, they will be the first to say that there has never been a better time to be a deathcore fan.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Jess Robinson here: 

Like THY ART IS MURDER on Facebook.