Last night, Australian metal band Thy Art is Murder joined British metalcore headliners Architects on their Holy Hell tour at the House of Blues. Metal heads of all ages flocked to the music hall and were ready to have their faces melted off and rock out all night long. Everyone, including myself, left the building deaf and blind due to the loud music and 1000 lumen LED strobe lights, but it was all worth it because we were apart of this badass show.
Thy Art is Murder went on at exactly 8:30pm. They entered as a thick fog covered the stage and soft lights beamed down, showing only silhouettes, which would soon be replaced by a multitude of strobe lights. They played beloved tracks, such as “The Purest Strain of Hate,” “Holy War,” and “Reign of Darkness.” With such a stacked setlist, the breakdowns were plentiful, and in turn so were the cheers from the audience. The crowd was loving every second of their set as they were screaming and headbanging to the max. Thy Art closed with their newly released single, “Human Target.” With the song only being a week old, the crowd seemed to already have it memorized by heart as they continued to scream along.
After a short period of downtime, Architects took the stage. Their stage design, backdrop, and light show was honestly one of the most impressive that I have seen in recent years. It’s such an under-looked detail, that speaks volumes about the amount of passion that this band has. From the visually pleasing stage design to the blinding (but awesome) lights, to the amount of fog – and not to mention the flawless performance and energy, these guys are the real deal and some of the most talented musicians out there. They opened with one of their top hits, “Death is Not Defeat,” played through a few more songs and then took a quick break. “Arch-i-techs, Arch-i-techs, Arch-i-techs,” chants filled the room and with the energy raised up in the crowd, Architects played through the title track of their new album Holy Hell and immediately played into a fan-favorite track “Royal Beggars.” Chants continued to fill the air during each little break that the band took. The crowd was among the most dedicated that I have seen. Lead vocalist, Sam Carter joked that he wished he had this crowd to cheer for him every time he’s waiting on his dog to take a shit. Which I guess is a good compliment. All jokes aside, they continued to provide heavy breakdowns and precision vocals. They wrapped up their set with the popular song, “Hereafter,” and continued through a two song encore, bringing the house down with arguably their most popular hit, “Doomsday.” If you happened to miss this show, make sure you catch them next time they’re in the states. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
– Lauren Frederick
