WHITECHAPEL „“This is Exile””

Music: Death Metal/Death Core
Country: U.S.A.
Web site: www.whitechapelmetal.com
Cool Songs: Father of Lies, To All That are Dead, Of Legions

In a mere two years, Knoxville, Tennessee death metal act WHITECHAPEL has risen quickly to prominence. The group, which takes its name from Jack the Ripper’s stalking grounds, first gained notoriety in 2007 with their first full length “The Somatic Defilement.” This start up album certainly benefited through Candlelight Records’ vast distribution network. Just a year later, WHITECHAPEL returns with one of America’s sturdiest metal labels, Metal Blade, to release “This is Exile,” participated in the who’s who death metal tour of the year—The Summer Slaughter Tour—and have begun another tour with THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD and others.

So what is all the hype about? For starters, WHITECHAPEL plays a brand of death metal that is becoming extremely popular: death core. Many bands playing this style have emerged since THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s glorious inception. Another reason for WHITECHAPEL’s rising fame is the fierce death metal attack the group brings. Rife with the conventions of brutal death metal such as bowel-exploding-low vocals, jackhammer drums, gruesome lyrics, and a guitar sound with the thickness of coagulating blood, no one could refute this album’s heaviness.

Although “This is Exile” features plenty of speedy passages on tracks such as “To All That Are Dead,” the title track and the album’s opener “Father of Lies,” the pace more consistently moves at a medium swagger, recalling the chugging attributes of hardcore, hence the death core tag. The group tempers these hardcore passages with bursts of speed, dark harmonies, and even a spooky soundtrack theatric on “Of Legions.” Just like THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL pairs the guttural low vocals with higher pitched shrieks.

While “This is Exile” offers a clear, yet grinding death sound, their insistence on plodding along with chugging rhythms and predictable breakdowns gets a bit tiresome after forty-plus minutes. The group’s large sound and moshable rhythms would make for a great live performance, but the whole “core” scene is getting old. If a legion of groups had not already stolen bits and pieces from other scenes to conjoin with their own brand of failed hardcore, this still-blossoming style may look more appealing. However, if companies want this type of music, they might as well sign the best. By including THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOB FOR A COWBOY and now WHITECHAPEL, Metal Blade has monopolized the talent pool.

note: 6.5/10

Tracklist

1. Father Of Lies
2. This Is Exile
3. Possession
4. To All That Are Dead
5. Exalt
6. Somatically Incorrect
7. Death Becomes Him
8. Deamon (The Procreated)
9. Eternal Refuge
10. Of Legions
11. Messiahbolical
Total playing time 42:58

Line-up

Phil Bozeman – Vocals
Alex Wade – Guitar
Zach Householder – Guitar
Ben Savage – Guitar
Gabe Crisp – Bass
Kevin Lane – Drums