Thy Art Is Murder brought the UK leg of their Dear Desolation tour to an end in Nottingham this past Monday. Having stormed across the UK in support of the album to rave reviews, the final date was set to be a big one.
Opening the night was Justice For the Damned, all the way from Sydney, Australia. Their hardcore tinged metal was something special. the crowd response was fantastic, especially considering they were the first band on and they couldn’t have started the night off better. Circle pits started early and continued throughout the set. For such a young band, Justice For the Damned really controlled the stage and made it known who they were and what they were about.
Following on from Justice For the Damned was Oceano, flying the flag for American dethcore. The standout feature from this band is without a doubt frontman Adam Warren. The way Warren controls the crowd and owns the stage is reminiscent of someone headlining much larger venues than the 450 cap Rescue Rooms. The command of and connection with the crowd really blew me away and drew me deeper into their set, which was full of songs that given the chance could defiantly take control of the dethcore scene. Oceano are a band to watch and with them teasing something coming on our shores very soon, I for one cannot wait to see more of them.
After the Burial were third on the bill. To play one below Thy Art Is Murder must be a daunting task for any band. Masters of their art, they dominate bills worldwide. Tonight however, was without a doubt After The Burial’s night. The set was fun, the songs were massive and the crowd loved every single second of it. I would argue that for most of the set, the crowd reaction for After the Burial was larger than that of Thy Art is Murder’s. The songs from 2016’s Dig Deep album sounded brilliant live and were standout moments in the set. If that is how After The Burial performed throughout the entire tour, then they need to get over here again soon on their own headline tour. If you haven’t yet checked them out, I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Headliners Thy Art Is Murder took to the stage following chants from the crowd of “Fuck Neck Deep” as the pop-punk outfit were playing their own headline show just down the road at Rock City. Tearing straight into their set, Thy Art Is Murder showed why they are held in such high regard. Delivering fan favourites from their past albums, the die hard day one fans were more than satisfied. Their set excelled when they were playing songs off of their most recent album, Dear Desolation. Slaves Beyond Death was brilliantly brutal and honestly should have been used as the opener to the set but instead it was the title track Dear Desolation. Thy Art Is Murder played fantastically and anyone who didn’t see them on this cycle has surely missed out, but as mentioned earlier, the night belonged to After the Burial.
Reviewed by Alex Rawstorne