Quick, name an extreme metal band that sells a solid amount of records in their first week. Cannibal Corpse? Death metal legends in their 3rd decade. Dying Fetus? Their newest record made the Billboard Top 200, albeit barely. Suffocation? Immolation? Both popular and successful death metal bands, but you’ll never see them topping the charts.
Australia’s popular deathcore/death metal act Thy Art Is Murder have entered the upper echelon of metal popularity, though. They just scored a #5 debut on the ARIA charts with their new record, Dear Desolation, as well as hitting high placements in other countries (a Billboard Top 100 spot in the USA). Besides making a good record, it’s clear that TAIM are in the big leagues to stay, having successfully adapted a more death metal approach without losing their core identity.
