Album Review: Thy Art Is Murder - Hate

“Fear me – I am destruction of innocence,” bellows Thy Art Is Murder's second album as it kicks off 37 minutes of unrelenting aural punishment. A cacophonous maelstrom of death soon follows this declaration – this is intense, jaw-droppingly heavy music.

Imagine if Decapitated were spliced with Behemoth and dropped onto an industrial strength trampoline. This album has bounce, but not in the predictably repetitive way that so many of the band's contemporaries get low to. Syncopation reigns supreme, with technical arrangements that effortlessly combine groove and sheer intensity making complete sense over and over again. Classy bass drum work peppers the silence between chugs in a number of the album's breakdowns, and rather than sticking exclusively to the genre's usual combination of guttural lows and piercing highs, the vocals hit their stride with a mid-range yell that's larger than life and rather refreshing. There's two new guitarists in the band's lineup, and the quality of the leads and delicately destructive riffs delivered all across Hate, while everything is next level, is ultimately what has made this album such staggering step up for the band.

Not only will Hate be a game changer for bands seeking to out-brutal each other in Australia – it has pushed the boundaries of what 'deathcore' (if this can still be classified as such?) can be on an international standard. The only thing about this album that doesn't seem to make immediate sense is the relevance of the demonic three-headed beast that's creating havoc on the cover. But you know what, it looks terrifying as hell itself, and that must be the point.