Australian deathcore outfit Thy Art Is Murder have parted ways with their vocalist CJ McMahon, opting to digitally release their new album “Godlike” without his vocals. Instead, the band opted to hire on a mystery vocalist, who re-recorded the vocal tracks for the album earlier this week, following a brief delay from its original release date.
Commentary from McMahon on social media last month, which was widely seen to be transphobic, helped to exacerbate this chain of events, with the band distancing themselves from his comments.
McMahon would go on to issue issue this apology in the days that followed. However, as was noted by several on social media, this wasn’t the first time McMahon had expressed controversial opinions of a political and societal nature on social media. According to the band, McMahon had also threatened to essentially sabotage the outfit should they not back his opinions.
Now, with today’s (September 22nd) release of their new album now here, the band have made the following announcement:
“We have some important news regarding ‘Godlike‘ that we want to share with you. Our new album ‘Godlike‘ is now available worldwide digitally with an unforeseen change — Chris McMahon is no longer a part of Thy Art Is Murder and does not feature on the record.
We understand that this may come as a surprise and we want to assure you that this decision was made to preserve the band’s integrity and direction.
What transpired over the past month was not the cause of this action, but just another symptom of the drawn out breakdown in his character and judgement. The straw that broke the camels back if you will long story short the fallout has been immense.
We were lobbed with threats to destroy Thy Art Is Murder from the inside if we did not capitulate to various ideologies that he holds. Everyone has their own right to free speech and to seek their truth; they are also free to receive the consequences that come with it.
We appreciate your support and respect for our privacy during this challenging time. As we move forward, we are excited to introduce you to a new vocalist, who finished re-recording vocals on the new album earlier this week, and will be joining us for the ‘Godlike‘ European tour with Whitechapel, Fit For An Autopsy and Spite, which kicks off in a few days.
Our focus remains on delivering powerful music and unforgettable performances to our dedicated fans. we’re grateful for your understanding and continued support as we embark on this new chapter together.
With gratitude,
Thy Art Is Murder“
Update: September 22nd, 2023 01:40pm:
Earlier today, McMahon shared the following of the album on Instagram, leading some to believe he was not made aware of the roster change ahead of time.
“Godlike is out today, hope you enjoy it. One of my favourite songs is Lesson in Pain, what’s yours????”
However, as noted by the band themselves, due to production schedules, the CD and vinyl editions of “Godlike” do feature McMahon‘s original vocal performances, with only the digital version featuring the group’s new mystery vocalist thus far.
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