Album Review: Whitechapel-Whitechapel

Tennessee deathcore titans Whitechapel have owned the genre (from a popularity standpoint) for years now. When it comes to straight-up deathcore, no one really does it better than Whitechapel. Their last record A New Era of Corruption took them more into a more death metal direction while still remaining deathcore. Their new self-titled release is a bit unusual, but still good. They still retain their deathcore elements while taking their music in yet another different direction.

Whitechapel is going to alienate some hardcore fans of the group (I've already heard some kids around the internet complaining that it's not heavy enough), which is kind of stupid considering their music hasn't changed drastically since the start of their career. They are absolutely still deathcore, they just have a more polished and diverse sound now. Album opener "Make It Bleed" is a perfect example of the new Whitechapel at work. The songs starts with a lengthy piano intro and seamlessly transitions into a fast, straight-up death metal assault with a sweet riff and solo. "Make It Bleed" instantly became my favorite Whitechapel song. The album shifts in tone on almost every song from start to finish. The biggest surprise is "Hate Creation", which is a nu-metal meets deathcore chugfest with a progressive sounding solo which sounds really weird (especially for Whitechapel), but it's actually pretty good. There is still quite a bit of old-school deathcore tracks on this album like the great "(Cult)rualist" and "Section 8" (which also appeared on last years Recorrupted EP) and some technical death metal-esque sounding tunes as well ("Dead Silence", "Faces"). The one constant throughout the album with the shifts in style is the solid songwriting and great vocals from Phil Bozeman. Whitechapel has come so far as a band in the songwriting department since The Somatic Defilement it's not even funny. This isn't exclusively a breakdown orgy like their first album. Their guitarists mix things up a lot more and have become much more of a dynamic unit since then. Vocally, Phil Bozeman steps up yet again. He is what really makes this band standout amongst other deathcore acts. His low-screams are still as devastating as ever and he is just perfect for this style of metal.

Whitechapel has made another solid, yet not fantastic album with Whitechapel. They try some new things by adding elements of tech-death, progressive, and even nu-metal to their trademark sound. I appreciate them thinking outside the box a little bit and going some directions that hadn't previously explored with their music. Phil Bozeman is still as good as a vocalist as there is in deathcore and their music is still heavy, mosh-pit material. Some of the more stubborn Whitechapel fans think they have gone soft, but I disagree. This is some of the best material they have done so far and I think this band will continue to flourish the more they progress as a band.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Make It Bleed
2.Dead Silence
3.(Cult)rualist