Thy Art is Murder – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 14th February @ Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA
Thy Art is Murder
Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA
February 14th, 2018
Support: Emmure, Fit For an Autopsy and Justice for the Damned
Welcome to a bloodbath Valentine’s Day massacre. Aussie deathcore/death metal heroes Thy Art is Murder have been taking the entire world by storm, touring like mad-men, but they haven’t forgotten their local brethren and have embarked on a national tour starting in Perth, and decided to bring some mates for the ride – and boy, what a treat it was.
The hallmark holiday didn’t stop anyone as the recently renovated Rosemount Hotel was flooded in by fans. Punters were sussing out merch from the get-go, reserving their positions and getting ready for the incredible value-for-money event ahead.
Getting things underway for the evening were Justice for the Damned from Western Sydney. The band were sporting bangers from their most recent studio album Dragged Through the Dirt. The hardcore outfit got some heads banging and evolved throughout their set. The aesthetic became tighter by each song and the vocalist was incredibly enthusiastic, urging punters to get moving. The front-man expressed gratitude to be supporting a band that they’ve always looked up to.
As fans continued swarming into the Rosemount Hotel, the energy was getting stronger as everyone anticipated the special trio of live music coming their way. New Jersey bred deathcore group Fit For an Autopsy burst on stage with incredible production. Vocalist Joe Badolato had a hood over his head and belched out the deepest growls possible for ‘Hydra’ – off their latest album The Great Collapse. The last two albums this band have released have been absolutely stellar and they encapsulated every element of them throughout their mixed set-list. Each riff was piercingly perfect and immensely cathartic for Perth fans who had never seen the band live before – a particularly hilarious moment when Badolato asked fans who had seen them before and it was crickets. He quickly acknowledged it and was very happy to finally be here. Would love to see these guys head down for another Aussie tour.
They’re contentious, often the black sheep and yet simply incredible and unique. I’m talking about Emmure from New York who although have visited Perth several times before, absolutely brought their A-game. The band played to their biggest Perth crowd to date and vocalist Frankie Palmeri (read our interview with him here) was soaring through the embodiment of his demonic on-stage persona. The show was tight, I mean seriously, Palmeri’s newly recruited bandmates absolutely blistered through the set, ranging from the early days of Felony all the way through to the album they recorded together Look at Yourself. Opening with the booming intro ‘You Asked for It’, Perth were detonated and set the pit alight. Dressed in shorts and a white tee, Palmeri stomped around the stage staring into the souls of his fans that screamed every lyric at his face. The frontman's adrenaline was perpetuated throughout the set as he’d lower down between tracks and bounce back up with the opening lines of the next track. The deathcore giants played some of their best material across their back catalogue, particularly ground-breaking hits from Speaker of the Dead like ‘Area 64-66’ and ‘4 Poisons 3 Words’. Simply put, Emmure were so excellent, that it’s almost unjustifiable to throw them in a support slot anymore for tours moving forward; stole the show.
Although punters could leave the venue feeling completely and utterly satisfied, it was just warming up on this Valentine’s Day, in preparation for the maestros to make their mark. Thy Art is Murder entered the gloomy stage and played freakin’ loud! The bass pounded across the venue and vocalist CJ McMahon eclipsed the true vision of a death metal front-man. A few years on since the band dabbled with a few EPs, they now showcase reputation-changing hits from the last few albums they’ve released, and when bundled together in a set-list you realise they’ve truly made it. Dear Desolation, Holy War, and Hate are a collective that will go down the ages for years to come.
Tracks like ‘Puppet Master’ and ‘Holy War’ were tracks that the entire band nailed and simply tore the roof of the venue. The vocalist used crude language to win over Perth and identify with the Aussie capital city after being overseas for so long. He noticed that the security guards were giving a shirt-less punter a hard time and made a statement by encouraging the whole crowd (minus the women) to take off their shirts, including his. It was a hilarious/caring move by the vocalist who clearly demonstrated strong efforts in being inclusive.
Taking a momentary break after the longest set they’ve ever played, Thy Art is Murder returned to the stage one last time to deliver a scorching rendition of ‘Shadow of Internal Sin’ which once again got the crowd-surfing going in fine form. To the rest of Australia – don’t mess around, get tickets to this show, it’s going to blow your ear-drums into the abyss.
Gig Review by Ricky Aarons @rickysaul90
Review and Photo Gallery by Denis Radacic (@denocide). Please credit Den Rad and Wall of Sound if you reuse.
Fit For An Autopsy
Emmure
Thy Art Is Murder
Thy Art Is Murder – 2018 Tour
with Emmure, Fit For an Autopsy and Justice For The Damned
FEB 16 MELBOURNE – 170 RUSSELL
FEB 17 SYDNEY – METRO THEATRE
FEB 18 BRISBANE – THE TRIFFID
