Live Review: Thy Art Is Murder – Godlike Tour – The Roundhouse, London

Deathcore has seen a tonne of attention recently so it comes as no surprise that Thy Art Is Murder would embark on their biggest headline tour to date. Bringing a star-studded lineup of Spite, Fit For An Autopsy, and Whitechapel along for the ride means their headline show at London’s Roundhouse was set to be something special. This is what went down!

Despite having an early door entry, the room filled up nicely for Spite who brought aggression and vigour to the country’s capital. Chugging riffs and brutality were the order of the day and Spite brought them in bucket loads. Amazing energy filled the room to create controlled chaos from start to finish and you could see just how much it meant to the band to be able to play at a venue like The Roundhouse. Ear-piercing gutturals echoed around the venue and as Spite left the stage they received a huge reaction from the London crowd.

Up next was Fit For An Autopsy who need no introduction. Heavy as hell with something to prove, the band quickly captured the attention of those in attendance with gnarly breakdowns and an enormous amount of passion. Constantly encouraging the fans to let loose, Fit For An Autopsy took the standard up a level and as a result of this, the crowd became more chaotic. Huge mosh pits broke out and everywhere you looked, you could see people having the time of their life. No one looked disinterested, from the floor to the seats, and Fit For An Autopsy proved they are a force to be reckoned with within the scene.

Whitechapel would take to the stage next and you’d be forgiven if you thought they were the headliners after the reaction they received as they hit the stage. The entire venue was elated at their arrival and this energy only seemed to grow as they went through their set, sounding as clean as they do. On record, Whitechapel dominated Camden Town and made it their own. Walls of death, circle pits and nothing but chaotic bliss filled the iconic venue. As Whitechapel’s set came to an end, the noise the crowd made was something you just had to be there to truly understand. Maybe Whitechapel should give this venue a go on their next headline tour!

The final band to take to the stage was Thy Art Is Murder and there was a feeling of excitement mixed with suspense. As the Deathcore Giants took to the stage, there was a noticeable difference in their live sound due to their new vocalist. ‘Destroyer Of Dreams’ kicked things off before the band launched into ‘Slaves Beyond Death’ and ‘Death Squad Anthem’. The vocal range seemed a bit more limited and it became extremely noticeable during ‘Make America Hate Again’.

Unfortunately, this was enough for a fair amount of fans to make their way to the exit however for those who stayed, many seemed to enjoy the newer, more rough sound. Songs like ‘Holy War’ and ‘The Purest Strain Of Hate’ sent the crowd into a frenzy as expected while newer tracks like ‘Godlike’ seemed to go down well with the London fans. The set closed out with ‘Reign Of Darkness’ followed by ‘Puppet Master’ and the general vibe around the venue was a split one.

Thy Art Is Murder has had a drastic change just before a massive tour and it can’t be easy for them to adapt. I think this did unfortunately have a massive impact on the night of music as the change is one that has diverted the fanbase and if I’m perfectly honest, the show as a whole felt wildly different compared to their last time in the UK. These things happen in music and not everyone is going to like it so maybe this is something that will require time to heal, but for me personally, this wasn’t what I expected from Thy Art’s largest headline show to date.