Australian deathcore heavy weight from Western Sydney, Thy Art Is Murder have successfully keep the deathcore banner high since their inception in 2006. Their debut album The Adversary (2010) and persistent touring led them to sign with Nuclear Blast to release the sophomore effort Hate in 2012. Since then the line-up has been stable despite some drama regarding the departure and return of singer Chris "CJ" McMahon. In 2015 I came across the play through video of "Shadow Of Eternal Sin". Hate cover and this song made me think of them as a tech death band, so I gave it a shot and soon bought their then new release Holy War (again awesome cover). When listening to a full record, I realized Thy Art Is Murder is actually a deathcore band and hence how it became the first one of the few bands in this genre that I appreciate. 2017's Dear Desolation was another good album.
Now Human Target is the fifth studio album from the band and the first for drummer Jesse Beahler (ex-Black Crown Initiate, ex-Jungle Rot). The album was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Will Putney and artist Eliran Kantor supplied the artwork.
Overall the sound of the record follows the same line as the predecessors, but it's also a small step forward. While Human Target's sound is truthful to Thy Art Is Murder deathcore roots, it's more death metal than core. Beahler's technique, blast beats and groove is a major step up for their sound. Take for example the groovy "Death Squad Anthem" and the vile title track. While still not enough, the guitars at times go beyond palm-muted chugs. In the single "Make America Hate Again" which is the best song on the record, the guitar work and its thrash riff are fantastic. But also, obviously twisting the term ‘Make america Great Again" (Donald trumps slogan), it has a brilliant title. "Voyeurs into Death" is another riffy song worth checking. Throughout the album, singer CJ uses his versatility of high and low pitched screams to deliver a great and diverse vocal performance. A highlight being "New Gods" with a huge intro and chorus that will prove a live favorite. Then there's "Eternal Suffering", a welcomed distinct track, longer and adventurous. It features a sort of build up followed by furious blast beats and occasional breakdowns.
Now, the album is not perfect and the second half can get a bit repetitive. The lack of guitar riffs in the first songs and the overuse of chugging guitars is acceptable for some songs songs, but later it gets frustrating. Specially because we now know they can do better. Smartly the band inserted the Behemoth-like track "Eye for an Eye" as second to last track and keep things interesting to get through the end. It also helps that it's a straightforward album with ten tracks in just under 40 minutes.
Human Target takes a grim look at humanity and musically delivers a DEATHcore sound that while it in line with their sound is also pushing their boundaries slightly forward by adding more elements and versatility. I just wish they would push themselves even further. After Whitechapel, now Thy Art Is Murder is proving that when done right deathcore can be an interesting metal genre.
SCORE: 80/100
Genre: Deathcore
Released by Nuclear Blast on July 26th, 2019
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