Thy Art Is Murder – Dear Desolation

Wade Reitz — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 11:52:07 +0000

Sometimes, taking a break from something can be helpful. A work issue, home project, or homework can all look different after walking away and coming back later. I’ve heard this can also be beneficial in relationships, though I can’t see how, especially in any I have had. In most cases, just walking away is the best thing. This is what CJ McMahon was thinking when he left Thy Art Is Murder in December of 2015. Luckily, his departure was not permanent, as he rejoined the band a year later. They have now released a new album, Dear Desolation, on August 18, 2017 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Anyone who is aware of Thy Art Is Murder knows they have long been one of the premier deathcore bands on the scene. This is especially significant considering just the number of quality deathcore bands coming out of their native Australia. Therefore, the level of anticipation for a new album from these guys is pretty high. This, combined with CJ’s return, make it even higher. This is where the preamble about taking a break comes into play. During the writing process for Dear Desolation, the other band members had already completed a tour without CJ, so they assumed they were moving forward without him. This uncertainty of TAIM’s future seems to have pushed the music in a new direction.

The ten tracks of Dear Desolation definitely have more death than core in the mix this time around. Whereas previously their songs would typically be focused on the breakdown, this album is more focused on the riff. Opening track/single ‘Slaves Beyond Death’ is a great example. Instead of running the opening riff into a breakdown, the tempo is actually kicked up a notch. Sure, there’s still a breakdown at the bridge, but they don’t dwell on it. Second track/single ‘The Son of Misery’ takes it one step further, elevating the opening riff to a blast beat, and barely breaks from it the entire song. This pattern continues throughout the album, with each track being built more from a riff than a breakdown. Not that guitarist Andy Marsh didn’t write smoking riffs before, but they just seem to be more prominent on Dear Desolation versus the breakdowns. Don’t worry folks, the breakdowns are still there and just as brutal as ever. ‘Death Dealer’ and ‘The Skin of the Serpent’ are proof. There are times where you think TAIM will fall back into their old pattern, like in the opening moments of ‘Man is the Enemy’ or ‘Fire in the Sky’, but then they never fully commit or cut left. This keeps things more interesting and the listener doesn’t get lulled into a breakdown trance.

Thy Art Is Murder has taken a nice step forward with Dear Desolation. By pushing their music in a more deathly direction, the songs have become more focused and sharp as ever. They are more angry than evil, like on the previous album, Holy War. Apparently, sometimes taking a break is a good thing, because that’s exactly what it took for Thy Art Is Murder to create their best album to date.

Make Them Suffer – Worlds Apart

Wade Reitz — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 01:10:08 +0000

I, as I am also guessing many of our readers, have temporarily become fixated on certain albums. For whatever reason they become somewhat addicting until the next brain monopolizing record comes along. For me, the last one was Siamese’s Shameless. I think I played that record on repeat for about a week straight, and I still find myself going back to it. My newest infatuation is the latest album from the Perth, Australia-based deathcore band Make Them Suffer.

Worlds Apart, released July 28, 2017 via Rise Records, is Make Them Suffer’s third full album since their inception in 2008. It marks a change in not only the band’s personnel, but also their sound. The personnel changes were Booka Nile replacing Louisa Burton on keyboards and clean vocals, and Jaya Jeffrey replacing Chris Arias-Real on bass. Lachlan Monty (guitar) also parted ways with the band. I think the change in sound is a direct correlation to these changes in personnel. On the previous album, the former members wrote many of the songs, so collaboration on those was non-existent. This is where the changes in personnel come in. The song writing process on Worlds Apart became more of a group effort, creating what sounds like a more cohesive album that flows much better from start to finish.

This leads us to the change in sound. There were many points on Old Souls were Maker Them Suffer would lean toward a blackened sound, a la Carnifex, especially in their gross use of blast beats and eerie piano flourishes. When the single ‘Ether’ was released in June of last year, we got a taste of what the new configuration of the band could do. The songs on Worlds Apart build upon this initial outing and come out even better.

The aptly titled opening track, ‘The First Movement’, utilizes Booka’s clean vocals and keyboards right away as a counter balance to Sean Harmanis’ gruff shouts and snarls. The upper mid-tempo beat also makes it an immediate head bobber. This sound turns into a trend throughout the album, as each track has just enough dark to balance the light. The mix of Booka’s purposeful keyboards and syths, with the occasional samples on intros, and guitarist Nick McLernon’s chugging riffs worm into your brain and won’t let go. ‘Grinding Teeth’ is great example of this, especially due to the tempo changes that DON’T focus on the break down. Lead single ‘Fireworks’ is another track, like many on Worlds Apart, which focuses on the melody more than the breakdown, and it pays off.

Make Them Suffer have really distinguished themselves from the deathcore pack with Worlds Apart. By giving their sound a little more core flavor than death, with a pinch of djent here and there, they have come up with the perfect recipe to get this album played repeatedly. Therefore, not only has Make Them Suffer created an extremely memorable record in Worlds Apart, but their best record to date.

deathcore – Power Of Metal.dk

Thy Art Is Murder – Dear Desolation

Make Them Suffer – Worlds Apart