Thy Art Is Murder’s sixth studio album, Godlike, has to be one of this year’s most interesting releases.
Its first three singles, ‘Join Me In Armageddon’, ‘Keres’ and ‘Blood Throne’ all received positive receptions, the album’s physical copy pre-order sold out, and the group’s European tour received venue upgrades due to the high demand of tickets being sold. It really seemed like Godlike was about to be the album to promote Thy Art from bandrooms to stadiums.
But, that’s not quite how it panned out. A month before the album’s release, the group’s longtime vocalist Chris ‘CJ’ McMahon reshared some divisive tweets in regards to the Trans community, swiftly resulting in him being ‘cancelled’ on social media. In turn, the band parted ways with McMahon, announcing that Godlike had been re-recorded with new vocals done by Aversion Crown’s Tyler Miller.
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It was a move that sparked a lot of controversy. Unsurprisingly, the wider deathcore community is a fanbase that harbours a lot of opinions, which in this instance, they let fly. Some suggested the group change their name to ‘They/Them Is Murder’, others (including a very unasked-for opinion from Falling In Reverse’s Ronnie Radke) called for a mass boycott, while some others even remarked that they would no longer listen to the album, insisting that Miller’s version is a “knock off.”
Now, as an ‘Infinite Death’ era Thy Art fan, I can’t understand the hate that the re-recorded version of Godlike is receiving. Having heard both versions of the album, I’d struggle to tell you the difference.
If it’s actually Miller that we are hearing on Godlike, we need to commend his last-minute efforts, because he’s identified each individual nuance of McMahon’s performance on the album and replicated them flawlessly. The only noticeable difference between the versions is that the mix of the re-recorded versions is a lot rougher around the edges. Which, if anything, works in its favour, with its imperfect master and haphazard mix feeling like a throwback to iconic Myspace metal acts like Job for A Cowboy and As Blood Runs Black.
‘Destroyer of Dreams’ hits you in the face with machine-gun rhythms, hammering breakdowns and unrelenting blast beats. ‘Lesson In Pain’ maintains the energy with the guitar shrieking guitar riffs and explosive double-kicks, while title track ‘Godlike’ goes full Spinal Tap mode and ups the ante to 11. It’s truly a whirlwind of chaotic riffs and sheer-drop breakdowns.
On top of that, its lyrics are as poignant and thought-provoking as ever, the breakdowns are bigger than ever before and the level of technicality is far superior to anything Thy Art have done previously.
Stand by CJ if you want, just know you’re missing out on one of the group’s most exciting releases to date.
Label: Human Warfare
Release date: 22 SEPTEMBER
