Review by Richard Henry for MPM
Thursday night in Belfast, it’s a quieter than normal night with the Thrash of the Titans on in Dublin, still for us that are here, looking forward to seeing Heriot who I haven’t actually listened to, and Thy Art is Murder yet again rolling into Belfast, a night of brutality awaits!
Heriot
Sentenced to the Blade – Opening with a track from the new album “Devoured by the Mouth of Hell”, slow grinding riff and double bass part kick this one in, Debbie kicking in with the trem bar solo, almost like a hardcore vibe to me, especially in the middle part of the verse, Jake and Debbie splitting the vocals, absolutely disgusting bass tone, very much on the groove side of things this song, decent opener!
Siege Lord – Nice drum and bass groove to open this one up, then a big grinding slab of a riff comes rolling over the top of you, the two vocals are nice contrasts in the song as well and well done, there is a lovely start stop sort of riff over that chorus part, really cool, few people are getting the hair moving to this one in the front row, great track!
Near Vision – 2022’s Profound Reality for this track, and it bangs in with an off-kilter groove and a beast of a riff, a harsh vocal from Debbie on this over the slow bass and drum groove, then you get slapped with a real hardcore D beat section for the next part, definitely time for a two step in the pit to that part before it slows to a nasty section that is just down and dirty, less than two mins long but pure brutality!
Demure – This was released as a single from 2023, slow groove and a huge riff to go over the top, its slow and deliberate as well, lovely interplay and syncopation with the drums, this one sort of has a brooding atmosphere with it, especially when the clean vocals come in as well, it sort of lifts the whole track up, then it drags after that part, snail pace slow section next that gets really intense, surprise D Beat section then creeps into the song and Jake takes the first part of the vocal before Debbie comes in and then it goes way slow again, brutal track!
Foul Void – Weird clean dissonant guitar to kick this off and I got Korn vibes off it, well until the vocals screamed in, then an absolute banger of a riff slaps you about a bit, almost Black Metal vocals in away from Debbie, I love that there is huge amounts of groove in these songs, then the next riff slaps in with some trem picked parts over the lower vocals from Jake, some movement from the crowd, there is part with the clean vocals and bass yet again reminds me of Deftones, then it changes into the more screamed vocal, really enjoying these guys so far, very different in feel to the headliners!
Soul Chasm – Another single from 2023, that guitar sound almost reminds me of Dismember, it’s absolutely disgusting, that riff is sick, following the bass drums it’s just got so much groove and aggression, jake providing the low and rumbly vocals, then a Kerry King trem bar solo from Debbie comes in, before she hits the screamed vocals before it sort of abruptly stops and slows down right to the end of the track!
Solvent Gaze – Dirty bass and drum slow groove to kick this off, it’s really laid back in feel, then a huge wall of guitar comes in for the next riff, chilled groove, one clean guitar with the dirty bass and a screamed vocals from Debbie, then a slab of a slow riff as the vocals get really intense, drummer Julian is a man of many faces when drumming that’s for sure!
Mourn – Abrasive riff right from the start of this one and a really disgusting slow sludgy groove to this one, it just sort of oozes along, it’s a proper headbanger of a track, again Jakes vocals are low and aggressive and then you get Debbie doing the higher scream parts it really splits it up well on the tracks, then when it hits the clean vocal part it really opens the track up, there is a really angular change in this one and it hit a real hardcore sort of part in the middle before it comes back out into a slower double bass groove, killer track!
Dispirit – Released as a single in 2021, that’s a lovely double kick groove to start this with a low slab of a guitar riff just grinding away over the top of it, I think the only thing i would say is they are a very much stand in one place sort of band, so it sort of has to be down to the music to do the talking, this one for me is a bit fractured with the clean vocals, the heavier parts are excellent but is sort of thought the clean vocals distracted the song a bit at the start?
Opaline – Clean guitar to kick this one off, sort of atmospheric sounding, then a slow drum part and a clean vocal comes in, now unfortunately Debbies voice sort of went on this so it was more of an instrumental version of this track, sort of reminded me of the Deftones in feel, very atmospheric but because a lot of it was clean vocals we did pretty much get an instrumental version.
At the Fortress Gate – Last track, nasty riff and the cymbal chokes are just savage before a really headbanging double kick groove comes in, that verse riff is so bouncy, again good use of the twin vocals but after that first riff the next tom section lost a bit of momentum before that first riff kicks right back in again, the middle section again sort of loses a bit of pace before the break with the guitar comes in and the next section just slams in on top of you and carries the song out!
Good set, I hadn’t heard these guys before, but I really enjoyed them!!
Thy Art is Murder
Blood Throne – Bang in with the latest album 2023’s Godlike, the first thing, the sound is crystal clear, love the simple stage show with the lights and the focus being on the band, Tyler pouncing around the stage spitting out the lyrics with venom, the groove is just addictive on this one, the kicks just flying, but it’s that half time breakdown part before it hits the chorus, which is just a headbanging groove, that part after the “and so they rot” lyric is just nasty, its short and to the point!
Join Me in Armageddon – Just like the album its straight into this one, brings the intensity down slightly at the start before that double kick riff comes in, this one is a real bounce around the pit number, before the tempo picks up, there are about a dozen souls doing their best in the pit but again it’s a half full Limelight and it is a bit muted tonight, I think as Tyler had noticed as he was continually trying to get reaction from everyone, that cut and paste riff after the vocal break is so disgusting, what a part, you feel like you are being assaulted after the first two songs, its relentless!!
Death Squad Anthem – Moving to 2019’s Human Target album, that trem picked riff with the slides against the double kicks at the start is quite the entrance, then when it breaks to the vocal and that nasty as hell riff, that is just savage, again the stage show is so minimalist but it is so good, drummer Jesse is an absolute weapon back there, just flying through the gears with ease, it’s so tight, these guys are such a well-oiled machine!
Make America Hate Again – From the same album, love that riff that kicks it off, the circle pit has started with this one, the drums are all over the place, double bass, blasts, its flying through it, I love that riff after the second chorus that is just syncopating off the China cymbal, four songs in already and as Tyler says, If I’m not tired, then you’re not tired!
Holy War – From the 2015 album of the same name, this one does get the loudest sing along of tonight as Tyler asks for the help of the crowd on this one, the tempos in this are class, from that slower beginning to the slower kicks coming in then that riff change and bang, switching from Slayer beat to blasts, drum fills all over the place, the crowd definitely help out on the chorus parts of this song screaming back at the band, Andy peeling off the solo to this one on a rather lovely Jackson Jeff Loomis model guitar, before it drops back into that opening groove again, I love this track!
Fur And Claw – From the same album as the last track, quick drum fill and we are into a much groovier bouncy feel, i love the groove to the start of this before the dissonant guitar comes in behind it, the intensity from the stage is unreal, the guys absolutely giving it their all, love that almost counter point riff over the blast beat section, almost classical feeling, lots going on with the drums as well, some really tasty fills in there, that middle slow down part is absolutely savage, another solo comes in and plenty of shred in there, this song as much as it is still brutal and intense came as a nice reprieve in the set!
Slaves Beyond Death – 2017’s Dear Desolation album for this one, that’s a nasty dragging riff at the start of this before the blast beats come raining down, it’s that next part with the double kicks that start the circle pit in the place, that’s a really Swedish death metal riff before the blasts come in again, that riff over the song title refrain is just nasty, then the breakdown happens, slow and brooding, and then it just keeps picking up the pace and heading back to that start riff, nasty song!
Purest Strain of Hate – All the way back to 2013’s Hate album, that’s a groove laden riff right from the off, lots of black metal vibes in the chord work on that part at the start, before it changes and the blast beats start raining down on you, really technical riff on that part as well before it flattens out then into a vicious double bass part, that breakdown though, absolutely savage, lots of tempo changes in this one before the solo comes in, again Andy channeling his Loomis in to that one, savage track!
Destroyer of Dreams – Back to the newest album for this one, the slow tom fill into to this one requires the pit to get back into action again, this one slams when the double kicks come in, just a barrage of riff and kicks and then the tempo changes to a more thrash part, and then back to a syncopated part again, straight into blasts and more double kicks, close the coffin Tyer screams at us, the guy hasn’t dropped the intensity all night, what a frontman, absolutely savage!
Godlike – Staying on the latest album, absolute beatdown of a riff and double kick part from the very start of the track, the groove on that verse part is sick, love how tight these guys are on parts like this and then the straight-ahead kicks come in, this is almost Meshuggah like, that’s what I get from this track, it’s like assault and battery this set, brutal!
Keres – Still on the same album, quick drum fill and into a nasty riff that is just abrasive, Sean, Andy, Kevin and Jesse are watertight, all the riffs and drum parts are just absolutely spot on, I spent half the night watching Jesse to be fair, unreal drummer, this song just goes through it all, the slower breakdown chugging riff is absolutely savage, then that breakdown with the pinch harmonics is nasty, then the blasts come in and another solo hits us, some really nice playing in there!
Puppet Master – Back to Dear Desolation album, and both guitar players have been replaced with I think the guitar techs for the last track of this evening, that always reminds me of Lamb of God that riff and the way the drums follow around, it’s a great ending track, and to be fair to the two guys now playing, it’s still tight as anything, last chance for the pit and the guys certainly do oblige, absolutely ripping set from the guys tonight, I saw them the last time on the same tour and they were even tighter tonight, absolutely amazing set, the energy never let up from first till last note!
Savagely tight, these guys were on fire tonight, amazing!
