Thy Art is Murder

Thy Art is Murder
Origin	Sydney, NSW
Genres	Deathcore
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, Sean Delander, Andy Marsh, CJ McMahon, Jesse Beahler
Past members	Lee Stanton, Tom Brown, Josh King, Mick Low, Gary Markowski, Brendan van Ryn, Lochlan Watt

Band members

• Line-up
  • Kevin Butler (bass)
  • Sean Delander (guitar)
  • Andy Marsh (guitar)
  • CJ McMahon (vocals)
  • Jesse Beahler (drums)

• Former members
  • Lee Stanton (drums) 2005 - 2019
  • Lochlan Watt (vocals) 2015 - 2017
  • Nick Arthur (vocals) 2015 (temp)
  • 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 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 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.

Discography

Albums:

	2010	The Adversary	Skull and Bones
	2012	Hate	Halfcut
	2015	Holy War	Nuclear Blast

EP:

	2008	Infinite Death	Skull and Bones
	2005	The Hole Isn't Deep Enough	self release