Album Review: Thy Art Is Murder – Holy War (Nuclear Blast)

Thy Art Is Murder are one of the most brutal & uncompromising bands on the death metal scene right now. Hailing from the sunny lands of Australia they have built up a reputation for making great music & having intense live shows.

Holy War is the bands third studio offering & first since 2012.

Opening song Absolute Genocide is as dark & angry as the name suggests. A slow build leading to CJ’s incredible growls & guttural vocal work, it’s incredible that anyone can do what he does. Sudden flurries of speed move the song along nicely with a nice slow heavy ending to even everything out.

Previously released single Light Bearer’s pure aggression is there from the opening guitar riff. The song is incredibly well paced proving that Thy Art can write some amazing songs. Title track, Holy War is a bludgeon to the head…its chorus demanding that you raise your fist high & scream “Holy War”! A decent guitar solo near the end is a surprise & it just about works.

Coffin Dragger tries out a couple of new things that are pleasing to the ear but nothing in the song compares to the breakdown that occurs about the halfway mark. It is incredibly heavy & your neck muscles will move of their own accord. The best song on the album.

Fur & Claw has a really punchy opening that only improves once the vocals & guitar melody kicks in. There is so much going on here…heavy as anything, unbelievable drumming, great guitar riffs, a killer solo & brutal vocals. Another amazing effort from a band that just keeps improving.

There is no time to relax as Deliver Us From Evil comes next. Short but sweet…offering some of CJ’s best vocal work on the album so far. Emptiness follows & it’s strange to hear a quiet strumming intro but it doesn’t last long as naturally it builds towards a wall of noise. Beautifully heavy while retaining all the elements that make the band so listenable.

Violent Reckoning doesn’t break any new ground but is still a quality song while Child of Sorrow is a firm reminder that Thy Art Is Murder has one mission…make the heaviest music possible.

The final track on the album (not including bonus stuff) is Naked and Cold & is a fitting ending to a excellent album proving once again that no one does death metal as well as Thy Art. The song shifts & changes whenever you feel like you’re just beginning to tire of it resulting in one of the finer tracks on the album.

There is a bonus track available called Vengeance that lasts just over 2 minutes. Frantic for most of it’s duration it’s a song that is as traditional Thy Art Is Murder as you can get.