Hate them or love them, you know them. Australia’s Thy Art Is Murder catapulted into the deathcore stratosphere in the early 2010s, through the technical The Adversary (2010) and the powerful Hate (2012). Despite its inconsistency, Thy Art Is Murder’s output earned sizable crossover appeal from death metal fans; think All Shall Perish, not Bring Me the Horizon. Godlike, whose release was delayed a week by line-up drama, follows four years after the middling deathcore-fest Human Target. Featuring an anonymous new vocalist,1 Godlike unites influences from across Thy Art Is Murder’s career, melding chuggy deathcore, fearsome death metal riffs, and the band’s trademark oppressive atmosphere. How does it stack up in this filthy month for death metal?
Thy Art Is Murder’s distinctive strengths remain intact. The front half of Godlike is especially crushing. Opener “Destroyer of Dreams” is deathcore done right, using the genre’s trademark chugs to make the song’s riffs even catchier and more powerful than they would otherwise be. The death-metal-heavy title track and career highlight “Join Me in Armageddon” follow suit, uniting ferocious riffs with pounding rhythms that are impossible to tune out. Meanwhile, Godlike’s choruses, both emotive (“Everything Unwanted”) and frenzied (“Keres”), catch my attention without ever sounding trite or poppy. Thy Art Is Murder’s unique ability to paint evocative atmospheres onto unlikely palettes is as strong as it was on Hate. Both “Join Me in Armageddon” and closer “Bermuda” embrace a Fallujah-like approach of cloaking the listener in ominous backing melodies. While Thy Art Is Murder’s recent albums eschewed this creativity in favor of a more straightforward attack, its resurrection helps Godlike stand out.
Still, Godlike falls prey to deathcore’s most frequent missteps. In contrast with the highlights, large chunks of the album sound like AI renditions of deathcore tropes. Tracks like “Lesson in Pain” and “Blood Throne” lean on standard-fare deathcore breakdowns that chug into one ear and out the other with near-zero melodic creativity. These sections are occasionally fun (“Godlike”); but even at their best, they feel like transient guilty pleasures. Thy Art Is Murder’s attempts to cross over into death and black metal are admirable, but the outcomes are mixed. While the first halves of “Keres” and “Godlike” nail their death metal riffcraft, “Anathema” lacks the intensity and the emotive power that Thy Art Is Murder is capable of. Godlike’s best parts are a testament to Thy Art Is Murder’s prowess, but its weakest sections are a reminder of why deathcore is so often maligned.
Godlike’s high and low points come together with songwriting that is flawed but capable. Tracks often start strong and then fall apart. The biggest offender is closer “Bermuda,” which builds a spectacular atmosphere from tremolo melodies and electronica before deteriorating into toothless breakdowns, bringing the album to an unsatisfying close. Similarly, “Corrosion” catches glimpses of greatness through its solid rhythm section, but much of the song sounds too haphazard to stick. Conversely, Thy Art Is Murder’s writing shines through Godlike’s peaks. For instance, “Destroyer of Dreams” seamlessly integrates a gripping chorus, barnburner deathcore riffs, and foreboding Hateful melodies. However, even Godlike’s best-composed tracks are marred by the album’s production. True to deathcore form, Thy Art Is Murder’s riffs are as crushed as they are crushing. Godlike’s compressed master both weakens its emotional force and makes it physically painful to listen to.2 Thy Art Is Murder’s songwriting and album construction reach both their zenith and their nadir on Godlike.
Some 2.5/5.0 albums are soups of mediocrity. Godlike is nothing of the sort. Rather, it both showcases Thy Art Is Murder at their finest and exposes deathcore at its weakest. Godlike’s best cuts live up to the promise of Thy Art Is Murder’s early triumphs, with a mix of belligerent riffs and absorbing ambience. These highlights are a satisfying listen even if you aren’t a deathcore fiend. But the standard flaws of deathcore rear their head throughout the album, in its uninspired breakdowns, its occasionally chaotic writing, and its brickwalled production. Godlike is strong enough to tread water, but not strong enough to stand out from September’s star-studded death metal output.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Labels: Human Warfare | Nuclear Blast Records
Websites: thyartismurder.net | facebook.com/thyartismurder
Releases Worldwide: September 22nd, 2023
