Review: Whitechapel — The Valley
Since emerging as frontrunners of the deathcore scene that came to dominate late 00’s metal, Whitechapel have long-since established themselves as key players in the genre, releasing six albums to much commercial success, testament to their large cult following. Along with the rest of the deathcore ilk, they were black sheep of the metal genre despite the extremity of their sound, but with seventh release The Valley, this looks set to change. While previous albums have seen the Tennessee band somewhat stagnate, the latest is a return to the glories that saw them develop such a hype over a decade ago.
Their previous offering, 2016’s Mark of the Blade fell flat, with the band since admitting it is their weakest work — as it was widely considered at the time. However, the experimentation with melodic vocal leads and the like caused much curiosity to the next direction Whitechapel would take. From the get-go, opener ‘When a Demon Defiles a Witch’ again displays the band’s willingness to experiment, only with considerably more success. It serves as a mission statement for what is to come, wonderfully transitioning between melody and brutality while also introducing a key theme of the album — that is the abusive experiences and loss of frontman Phil Bozeman, which is hauntingly explored throughout the opus. These deeply personal lyrics are deserving of an equally intense backing, and that is certainly the case here.
Next up, ‘Forgiveness Is Weakness’ and ‘Brimstone’ display a more familiar sound for long-time fans of the band, with wall to wall heaviness and riffs and lyrics that are as savage as they are memorable. ‘Hickory Creek’ sees this barrage give way to what is easily the most accessible track of the Whitechapel discography, while lyrically dark as ever, the melodies on show are unlike anything the band has attempted before, working not only as a welcome reprieve in the album, but also as a song that will doubtlessly expose them to a wider audience.
The rest of the album continues in such a fashion, with more characteristic heavy tracks leaving room for melodic interplay, blurring the lines of the subgenre they’ve so heavily been intertwined with throughout their career and transcending the often limiting connotations that come with it; The Valley is so much more than just another deathcore album. ‘Third Depth’ is yet another highlight, and perhaps a good summary of the direction they have taken, evidencing the talent and versatility that is in such abundant display.
The Valley will undoubtedly go down as Whitechapel’s finest work to date, and is titled rather aptly in that it sees the band leave something of a valley of their career path behind, hitting new peaks far exceeding their initial potential.
