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THY ART IS MURDER
w/Whitechapel,
Chelsea Grin & SPITE
@ Hindley Street Music Hall,
Adelaide
17th January 2023
(Live Review)

Review by Kayla Hamilton

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THY ART IS MURDER // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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If this was the first show you attended this year, well then you started your year off strong. Thy Art is Murder’s legendary album Hate turned 10 years old and they are travelling the world to celebrate- bringing some of the biggest names in deathcore with them. The Australian tour wraps up on the 18th in Perth and their second-to-last stop in Adelaide was a show to put in the books.

Not only were Adelaide punters treated to a stellar set from Thy Art is Murder, deathcore heavyweights Whitechapel, Chelsea Grin and SPITE made the trek down under for the occasion. Bringing out fans new, old and the ever faithful- Adelaide’s newest venue Hindley Street Music Hall was given a workout with an almost sold-out crowd lining the streets to join on this celebration of a decade of brutality.

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SPITE // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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Kicking off proceedings was the Californian band SPITE. It was almost unfair to have this band opening the show as the energy they brought set the energy in the venue at an almost unattainable level. Vocalist Darius Tehrani quickly had the rowdy crowd in the palm of his hand and almost instantly, the pit opened up. In an epic display of high energy and aggression, SPITE impressed what can sometimes be a rather difficult Adelaide audience. Thundering through a set that included the Kill or Be Killed, Caved In and Crumble. For a band that was having their first showing in Australia, you can be sure that the people of Adelaide will welcome them back with open arms.

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CHELSEA GRIN // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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Absolute deathcore icons Chelsea Grin were next to take the stage and by opening with Recreant they understood the assignment. As this was a tour celebrating an album from 10 years ago- many of the crowd were there to hear the classics and this early dip into the past helped keep the momentum that SPITE had created. Whether it was from recovering from the sheer heat that Adelaide had been going through the past few days or the early exertion- or perhaps a combo of the two- the crowd did start to wither a little as the band did play some newer tracks but every time they dipped into a classic- the old heads in the crowd re-joined the younger ones to truly kick the pit up a notch. Closing out their set with Hostage, the crowd responded accordingly and gave Chelsea Grin the love and energy they deserved. Crushing through that final breakdown, bodies were flying, heads were banging, and a sea of hair, limbs and metal horns swept through the venue. 

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WHITECHAPEL // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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 Whitechapel was next to take the stage and really, not many people can argue that when it comes to naming deathcore powerhouses, Whitechapel’s name is bound to come out. The reception the band got before they even started playing was intense. The energy from the last two bands filled with the anticipation of the set the Tennessee deathcore mainstays were going play was too much. Atmospheric, intense and downright brutal- Whitechapel showed why they have stood up at the top of the genre for so long. The constant guitar changes and the band leaving the stage did go between killing the momentum of the set to adding a layer of suspense- but it probably was not helped by how hard the crowd had been going on this muggy, Australian Summer Day. At times the crowd became a little sombre- but this was not out of boredom- rather it was hard not to get swept up in the atmosphere of the performance. There is just something about the way vocalist Phil Bozeman sings about the devil that is almost bewitching. Perhaps it’s his southern drawl or maybe just the way the rest of the band creates music that just encompasses the weight of the lyrics. After a few slower-paced and often haunting tracks, the band knew how to finish and absolutely kicked the crap out of the audience with some of their faster and heavier numbers.

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THY ART IS MURDER // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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There is always a risk when bringing such epic bands with you on tour- but it was a risk that Thy Art is Murder was able to take. The best thing about Australian bands is that they understand the Aussie audience and can really appeal to off-kilter humour. Having the sound guy drop the Vengaboys before the start of the set had everybody singing and dancing. Joined by epic lighting, elevated drums, a ridiculously epic banner and a brutal skeleton mic stand and a stage set-up and ready for the Western Sydney lads to tear up; Adelaide was ready to go absolutely feral. Powering through the first track off Hate, Reign of Darkness, the crowd went ballistic. There is a reason this album put them on the map and this almost sold-out crowd was experiencing it in all its glory. Crowd-surfers, crowd-killing, circle pits, headbanging, items of clothing flying across the pit- it really was a free for all. Animalistic aggression took over but at the same time, everybody was joined together to celebrate such an incredible part of not just Thy Art is Murder’s history, but Australian music history.

In true Thy Art is Murder fashion; stories of debauchery were peppered in between tracks. Frontman CJ McMahon recanted the last time he was in this venue and gave his commentary on the local area. He was met with laughs and what could be considered solidarity between the self-proclaimed scumbags on stage and those in the crowd who almost certainly understood the sentiment. CJ later also told the story about how the album was distributed and came to be, the success it brought them and while thanking the crowd. 

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THY ART IS MURDER // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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Once the band had played through the entire album, the crowd was treated to two extra tracks Death Squad Anthem, Holy War and Puppet Master. With that final hoorah, Thy Art is Murder left fans to revel in the show that they had just witnessed- possibly one of the best line-ups you could ask for as a deathcore fan. As the packed audience filed out of the venue and into the summer night- there was an energy of satisfaction, excitement and exhaustion that hung around.

It is exciting to think that years ago, bands from Australia were getting recognition but were always playing second fiddle. Now bands like Thy Art is Murder are truly paving the way. If this tour was anything to go by, it’s about time that Australian bands really embrace just how talented they are and that they deserve a place above the bigger names in the worldwide scene. Thy Art is Murder truly rose to the occasion and reminded everybody exactly why they were there.

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THY ART IS MURDER // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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Check out Len Panecki’s gallery of the Melbourne show HERE

Follow THY ART IS MURDER
Website – Instagram – Twitter – Facebook

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THY ART IS MURDER // Forum Melbourne, 14th January 2023 // Photo – Len Panecki

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Press Release 9th January 2023 (below) HERE

THY ART IS MURDER
‘Decade Of Hate’
Australian Tour
starts this week

Celebrating Their Seminal 2012 Album
with Whitechapel, Chelsea Grin & Spite

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AMNPLIFY – DB