Thy Art is Murder
Thy Art is Murder | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, NSW |
| Genres | Deathcore, death metal |
| Years active | 2005 - present |
| Labels | Skull and Bones, Halfcut, Nuclear Blast |
| Associated acts | Vegas in Ruins, Amongst the Demons, Scar This Sky, Cross the Lips of Grace, Aversions Crown, The Decimation Protocol, Molotov Solution, Jungle Rot, Rings of Saturn, Nightfire |
| Members | Kevin Butler
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| Past members | CJ McMahon
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Band members
- Line-up
- Jesse Beahler (drums)
- Kevin Butler (bass)
- Sean Delander (guitar)
- Andy Marsh (guitar)
- Tyler Miller (vocals)
- Former members
- CJ McMahon (vocals) 2008 - 2015, 2016 - 2023
- Lee Stanton (drums) 2005 - 2019
- Lochlan Watt (vocals) 2015 - 2016
- Nick Arthur (vocals) 2015, 2016
- Tom Brown (guitar) 2011 - 2014
- Gary Markowski (guitar) 2005 - 2011
- Mick Low (bass) 2009 - 2011
- Brendan Van Ryn (vocals) 2005 - 2008
- Josh King (bass) 2005 - 2009
Band information
Thy Art is Murder formed in western Sydney in 2005. By the end of 2006 the group had completed a successful tour of Queensland and began working on an EP shortly afterward. Infinite Death was released on July 23 2008. The band then set off on a two month national tour with Gallows for Grace. Brendan Van Ryn departed the group in October. CJ McMahon from Vegas in Ruins joined in April 2009 and they then went on a second national tour.
Scar the Sky guitarist Mick Low joined the band as their bassist in 2009 after working as the engineer on The Adversary. The album was released in July 2010, which was followed by a two month national tour. Low departed after this and Sean Delander switched to bass when Andy Marsh joined from Cross the Lips of Grace. Thy Art is Murder then teamed up with Despised Icon and The Red Shore for Australian touring and also toured with Confession. Mid-2011 Tom Brown replaced Gary Markowski and in November the band toured nationally with War From a Harlot's Mouth, The Bride and Make Them Suffer. During 2012 Thy Art is Murder toured Europe and the UK and recorded their second album in New Jersey. In August 2012 it was announced the band had signed with Shock offshoot Halfcut. Hate was released shortly after a national tour with Fear Factory and debuted on the ARIA Album Chart at #35, the highest debut ever for an Australian death metal album. In January 2013 the band performed at the Sydney Big Day Out and a week later announced a signing to Nuclear Blast for international release. During June 2013, Thy Art is Murder toured nationally with Cattle Decapitation, King Parrot and Aversions Crown and then headed to the London for the Golden Gods Awards, for which they were nominated. After this Thy Art is Murder toured Europe, the UK and Russia before joining the Summer Slaughter Tour across North America. Hate was nominated for the Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album at the 2013 ARIA Awards but lost out to Karnivool's Asymmetry. TAIM were named on the Soundwave Festival line-up for 2014 and were almost kicked off the tour on the first day after inciting a stage invasion during their set in Brisbane. An Australian tour with Northlane and Make Them Suffer in May and June 2014 was followed by European festival appearances including Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium. Following this, the band began work on their next album.
The release of Holy War was preceded by controversy regarding the album cover - a child suicide bomber - that caused it to be censored. Sean Delander switched to guitar again with the addition of former Aversions Crown member Kevin Butler on bass and Holy War was released in July 2015, rocketing to #3 on the ARIA Albums chart. A national tour followed with Feed Her to the Sharks and they then replaced Suicide Silence on a national tour with Parkway Drive, during which Marsh also stood in for Parkway's guitarist Jeff Ling. In early 2016, CJ McMahon quit the band for personal reasons, stating he could no longer afford to tour. Nick Arthur replaced him for subsequent shows before Lochlan Watt of Colossus was hired to front the band on their US headlining tour with Rings of Saturn, Fit for an Autopsy and Dark Sermon. Following those shows, Arthur returned.
In mid-2016 TAIM released a three-way split with Fit For an Autopsy and The Acacia Strain called The Depression Sessions featuring a new track from each band and a cover, recorded before McMahon left. The following January, McMahon rejoined Thy Art is Murder for their appearance at the Unify Gathering, announcing he was back for good. Dear Desolation followed in August, charting at #7.
Founding member Lee Stanton officially departed the band in early 2019 and was replaced permanently by American musician Jesse Beahler of Jungle Rot, who had been standing in for him on and off for most of the previous two years. Human Target was released in July and the band toured nationally with Parkway Drive. The first date of Thy Art is Murder's 2021 Australian tour fell on the night after COVID restrictions were imposed in most of the country and the tour was postponed until early 2022.
The Aggression Sessions split with Malevolence and Fit For An Autopsy appeared in early 2023. After touring to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hate, the band released a full-length live video to YouTube and then undertook a national regional tour with Justice for the Damned and To the Grave. Godlike was due on September 16 but a week before the release date, McMahon was publically sanctioned for homophobic comments he made on social media; he was subsequently fired from Thy Art is Murder and immediately replaced by Tyler Miller from Aversions Crown. McMahon's vocals were scrubbed from the digital release of Godlike and replaced with Miller's.
Discography
Albums:
| 2010 | The Adversary | Skull and Bones |
| 2012 | Hate | Halfcut |
| 2015 | Holy War | Nuclear Blast |
| 2017 | Dear Desolation | Nuclear Blast |
| 2019 | Human Target | Nuclear Blast |
| 2023 | Godlike | Human Warfare |
Singles:
| 2012 | Reign of Darkness | Halfcut |
| 2017 | No Absolution | Nuclear Blast |
| 2018 | Death Perception | Nuclear Blast |
| 2020 | Killing Season | Nuclear Blast |
| 2023 | Blood Throne | Human Warfare |
| 2023 | Join Me in Armageddon | Human Warfare |
| 2023 | Keres | Human Warfare |
EP:
| 2008 | Infinite Death | Skull and Bones |
Split:
| 2016 | The Desolation Sessions (with Fit For an Autopsy and The Acacia Strain) | Independent |
| 2023 | The Aggression Sessions (with Fit For an Autopsy and Malevolence) | Nuclear Blast |