Thy Art Is Murder - Infinite Death (Album)
Infinite Death is the new EP out from Sydney 5-piece Thy Art Is Murder. The album cover is rather dark and indistinct, which is probably what was aimed for, yet makes it rather hard to find a clear image. This is true for the band name as well, which is so stylised it is almost completely illegible. I remain confident that people who don’t already know what the band name is will be unable to find words in the resulting symbol. The picture appears to represent a cannibal eating dead bodies. Or something equally cheerful.
Thy Art Is Murder is a relatively new band, signed to fast-becoming-known Australian label Skull and Bones Records, which specialises in signing upcoming Australian metal, thrash and hardcore bands. Thy Art Is Murder would fall neatly into all those categories; perhaps ‘tis best described as heavy grindcore, with a slight metal residue.
Infinite Death features only 5 tracks, with a total length of just under 18 minutes. The music dips and rises, driven mainly at a frantic pace. The core is the heavy distortion in the guitars and bass drum. The irregular breakdowns and the brief, twirling guitar interludes are by far the most interesting parts of the music. However, the band seems to have tried too hard to just be as heavy, distorted and chaotic as possible. While this will no doubt appeal to some people, I feel that the music has been a casualty of this emphasis; apart from the short bridges in each song, there is little melody, little innovation, and not much ‘music’ as I know it.
The best track on the album is Parasitic Autopsy, although Breeding Bacteria runs a close second. Although I have no idea what the lyrics are even after careful listening, the guitars manage to create a dark heavy atmosphere which is lacking in the other tracks. Personally I’d like to see a little less double bass in the song, but overall a good effort on that one.
Infinite Death is one that I would term only for the Thy Art Is Murder fans out there, or the fans of grind/thrash/metalcore that have money to spend and are feeling angry. Still, it is only an EP. Perhaps the advent of an album will spark some more innovation from the band.
