THY ART IS MURDER need no introduction. This Australian Deathcore band is currently The Next Big Thing in Metal and of course the best Deathcore Band to emerge out of the modern Metal scene. Even though the band is categorised as Deathcore, THY ART IS MURDER have integrated more Death Metal elements since the "Infinite Death" EP, which is the only "pure" Deathcore album made by these Australian heavyweights. Ever since CJ's addition to the fold TAIM has evolved as a Death Metal Act with his brutal Death Metal-esque Growls supporting their Death Metal/Deathcore instrumentation. After a short hiatus the band are back with more surprises; and the release of "Dear Desolation" marked one among the many of surprises to come. Taking the Death Metal route inspired by a mixture of bands ranging from DECAPITATED to BEHEMOTH "Dear Desolation" can be categorised a Death Metal Record with Deathcore-esque Breakdowns.

The album kicks off with a brutal track called "Slaves Beyond Death". The track shows strong Death Metal vibes but on the other hand the closing minutes of the track screams Deathcore as the relentless breakdown will melt your face. The appealing element on their instrumentation is undoubtedly in the drums. Lee Stanton owned the record with his tight drumming, holding the vocals and guitars together without exposing a single flaw. The songs that succeeds "Slaves Beyond Death" are "Son Of Misery" and "Puppet Master". Both of these tracks are addictive and the breakdowns of both tracks are memorable and insanely heavy; transitions are smooth and the parts that follow are brutal - drumming parts are akin to a chainsaw and the guitar riffs are as thick as human blood. Think For Your Fucking Self... from "Puppet Master" is probably the best pre-breakdown line that I have heard this year.

Next up is the title track, "Dear Desolation". Starting off with a thunderous intro the song quickly takes a transition towards the main riff combined with brutal growls from CJ. The guitars are well highlighted on this track as the song showcases a brutal breakdown as well as a subtle solo. It is quite difficult to skip a track here as every single song has something different. After a solid first half, "Man is the Enemy" teases the second half of this album. Probably one of the record's best songs, "Man Is The Enemy" is where the atmospheric elements kick in. This atmospheric essence is well observed on "Skin of the Serpent" and "Fire In The Sky". Alas, the album comes into a close with another subtle track, "Final Curtain".

Overall, "Dear Desolation" is a perfect album; with more than 5 tracks worthy of being called as the album's best along with the opening trio that might as well be the best tracks of 2017. The album proves that Lee Stanton is truly a professional drummer as this record shows his maturity and proves his evolution as an artist. Before "Dear Desolation", It was "Hate" that created an everlasting impact on Metal, but bow it is safe to say that the former is at the same level as the latter. "Dear Desolation" is indeed one amongs the top three albums of the band's discography with "Hate" and "Adversary" being the other two. That being said "Dear Desolation" is most certainly amongst the finest releases of 2017.