Live Review: Thy Art Is Murder - O2 Institute, Birmingham
24th October 2023
Support: Spite, Fit For An Autopsy, Whitechapel
Words: Matt Noble
Photos: Damian John
The much-anticipated Thy Art Is Murder tour made its way to Birmingham on a cool Tuesday night. With the venue full to the brim very early on, it's proof of the serious weight behind each band on the bill - with the three bands furthest up the bill arguably capable of headlining this room themselves and openers Spite earning a serious buzz around them at the moment.
Indeed, many are here early to see Spite tear it up. My first time seeing them was on last year's Never Say Die tour with Suicide Silence - and I was shocked at how good they were then. They've only seemed to have better in the last twelve months. Overflowing with insanely bouncy grooves in their death metal meets hardcore sound, they have a commanding presence and a lively portion of the crowd shouts their hooks back at them. They don't feel dwarfed on a bill with such heavyweights in their genre, and the first pits of the night get going with serious vengeance. The breakdowns have some serious weight to them, complemented by tasteful atmospherics in the backing track, though some thrashier sections give the band a serious dose of attitude. I'd be very interested to see how Spite would fare headlining over here next.
Fit For An Autopsy follow, having been on UK shores recently at Bloodstock. There aren't many bills that they'd be on second out four bands, but somehow the strength of the overall lineup has them here tonight. Like a well oiled machine, Fit For An Autopsy deliver a textbook performance with plenty of polish and well rehearsed moments to engage the crowd. They're again full of groove, but can be blisteringly fast at times in a really satisfying way. 'The Sea of Tragic Beasts' particularly gets the crowd going with its nasty intro, and the fist-pumping 'Far From Heaven' closes a set that feels over far too soon for a band as solid as themselves. The floor is virtually full by this point, and they leave to well deserved adoring cheers. The sound doesn't really complement them well tonight, but the energy in the room and on the stage makes up for it.
Deathcore legends Whitechapel are the main support, a twelve legged riff machine led by the enigmatic Phil Bozeman on vocals. Their most recent album 'Kin' is just under a couple of years old, with the first two songs of the night coming from there and igniting the pits nicely. The ultra-groovy 'The Saw Is The Law' sees the energy in the pits become even more frantic, with a nice mix of bounce and intensity leading most of the rest of the set. Phil Bozeman is on fine form as ever on vocals, one of the best in the game, though the incredibly tight band behind him hold their own and dominate the stage with a massive presence. Whitechapel close with a couple from their first two albums, which it feels like most of the crowd were waiting for - the energy definitely seems to change as they announce their older material. It's surely a blessing and a curse for a band who tour and record as consistently as Whitechapel!
Getting the crowd in the mood as the PA starts to blare out, erm, Vengaboys, Thy Art Is Murder come on to deliver a refined and polished performance, worthy headliners despite the supreme strength of the bands before them. Half of the set comes from the 'Godlike' album, barely a month old this evening. This doesn't prevent the audience from shouting the new lyrics back at the band, or rowdily getting into it from the first notes of 'Destroyer of Dreams'. The moshes are intense and the room continues to be swelteringly hot.
I can't review this set without touching on the recent controversy in the Thy Art camp following the exit of former vocalist CJ McMahon in the last few weeks. It's their first UK dates with Tyler Miller fronting the band, who cut his teeth in Aversion's Crown for years. Tyler is a solid vocalist, delivering each line with conviction and power. He acknowledges his new member status with warm gratitude. He can talk to an audience and get them to do what he wants. What Thy Art had in CJ, however, was a serious sense of charisma and frontmanship that Tyler doesn't seem to have quite eased into just yet. It's early days though.
It seems the crowd is divided between the two vocalists - I saw plenty on social media praising Tyler as an improvement over CJ, while some in the room (mostly towards the back) would shout CJ's name between a couple of songs in a venue that wasn't quite as full to the brim as it had been. Is it a true split, or a case of offline versus online persona?
Regardless of your stance, the future of Thy Art seems to lie without CJ McMahon and on Tyler's vocal performance alone, he's a worthy successor to the throne. On purely musical terms, Thy Art put on a solid display of deathcore and the new material definitely succeeds in the live arena. They pull out the old favourites - 'Holy War', 'The Purest Strain of Hate' and more - to huge responses from all corners of the crowd, who save enough energy to go crazy, despite Thy Art being the fourth excellent band of the night. They close on a triumphant encore of 'Reign of Darkness' and 'Puppet Master' - though the future may feel uncertain to some, at present they prove themselves to still be kings of their genre who are on top of their game. If you'd never seen or heard of them before and had come with no preconceived notions, you'd be leaving in awe.
Photo credits: Damian John Photography
