Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)

THY ART IS MURDER w/Tragedy of Murder, Encephalitis, Silence Of Genocide, Skewer
Mr. Fox Live House, Bangkok, Thailand
April 25th 2025

It was a hot, steamy night in Bangkok- the perfect night for a bit of deathcore. No strangers to the heat, Australian deathcore pioneers Thy Art Is Murder kicked off their Asia tour in Thailand on Friday and boy, was it one for the ages.

The crowd was a little sparse early on, but being as people were fighting the traffic to make it after work, that is always to be expected. Still that not dampen the energy from the nights openers, Skewer who not only were tasked on setting the stage for some brutality, they were also making their debut performance.

You knew they were going to go hard when guys in the crowd were stretching before the start of the set, but nothing could prepare for the onslaught that I was about to experience. A true representation of the amalgamation of the death metal and hardcore genres, their almost doom inspired riffs created a heavy atmosphere. With enough pinched harmonics to satisfy every slam fiend, they quickly descended into beatdown territory with violence of their breakdowns. It was a bit of a testing grounds as people were reluctant to sweat too early in the night, but a spirited few ensured that this band got respect their music deserved. Tasty little moments blended with some real evil sounding core music, this band is definitely one to watch. The drummer was a monster and while he was hard to see behind the headliners equipment, his magic was not overlooked.

Speaking of true deathcore, one band that captures the essence of what classic deathcore was about back in the early days (trust me- I was there, unfortunately I am that old) is Silence Of Genocide. To me, this band is one the most overlooked acts in the genre across the Asia Pacific. Their frontman has some ridiculous pipes, tackling the intensity of the music with an unmatched viciousness. Their delayed breakdowns add even darker punch once they hit and even image wise, this band speaks to me the way Suicide Silence did back in the day. Some moments of symphonic metal created an epic atmosphere. This is when the pit was starting to get dangerous and ripping through a new song that showed they are also inspired by the newer styles of deathcore. Always a pleasure to catch this band.

If brutal deathcore was what you wanted and what you came for, then Encephalitis would satisfy even the most puritanical deathcore elitists. Fronted by Slamman Bookings bossman Jino, the crowd packed in to show some love. My eyes wandered over to the guitarist and when I saw him set his glasses on top of his cab, I knew that we were in for something nasty. Their bass player, giving almost warlock vibes capitalised on his aura by pulling out some of the beefiest bass grooves- much to the fans delight. It was atmospheric from the start, then full steam ahead into sonic chaos. Directing the audience to move, they were happy to oblige as the pit (and the room) really started to fill out. What felt like being hit by a shovel, in the best way, it descended into madness with a finale of the set that could only be described as nuts. Shredding guitars, vocalist in the mosh and just an all round ripper set. 

One band that had captured my attention on this billing was Tragedy of Murder. After seeing their image around the Thai metal media landscape and unfortunately missing them on a few occasions, I was very keen to see what they had in store. I was NOT disappointed. Intensity was off the charts. Their image- a curated gothic masterpiece, I did not expect some of the most savage deathcore I’ve heard in ages. Vocalist Jeddy commanded the pit from the start and while the spirit of the crowd was there, some who may be witnessing the band for the first time were a little spaced out. That was fine, because Jeddy took control and from there on out- the band had the room in their grips. Stage show on point and the circle pits many- their symphonic infused deathcore anthems hit right to the bone, with savage vocals and some of the most brutal drumming of the night. ‘Paradise’ had me ascending and I cannot say much more than after this night, I am definitely a fan. 

After Tragedy of Murder had left us all out of breath with their impressive set, the only band that could one up in that moment was of course our headliners, the almighty Thy Art Is Murder. Setting the mood with their signature opening track, Vengaboys ‘We Like to Party!’, for those who had never seen them before- there was a slight air of confusion. The Vengabus rolled through though and it’s only passengers were set to deliver a set of disgustingly heavy proportions. With some confusing Shrek imagery playing on the visualiser- one would start to question the seriousness of this band- but despite the introductions- Thy Art Is Murder is serious about one thing: face melting deathcore. 

Straight away shockwaves reverberated through the crowd as frontman Tyler Miller hit the stage, the Thai flag projected across the screen with the bands logo front and centre. It was time for some serious fucking brutality. Straight away mayhem ensued. The Bangkok audience was ravenous for their music, as the room span and the punters yelled along- the love in the air was palpable. The heat in the room rose, both figurative and literally. The shirts came off and every ounce of remaining bit of energy was exerted. They powered through a setlist, putting combinations like ‘The Purest Strain of Hate’ back to back with ‘Godlike’. 

With every lick, solo and pinched harmonic from their guitarists- the guitar nerds (like myself) were frothing. It was a festival of curated brutality and the bands veteran status was on full display.

From serious imagery to Minions and back to Shrek, the show really captured the connection that Thai fans have with Aussie bands. This level of commitment and love for seriously good music but also having the most fun, it is a winning vibe.

Even without an encore, the appreciation from the fans was evident. A successful start to the bands Asia run and a night to remember in the Thai capital.

Thy Art Is Murder’s onslaught across Asia continues from Sunday the 27th of April in Japan- with three dates (Tokyo, Osaka and Okinawa). The band will then hit up Taipei and finish off at the ROAD TO HAMMERSONIC in Jakarta.

Head to SLAMMAN BOOKING‘s socials for more information.