Now with less monster . . .
Deathcore upstart Whitechapel has quickly established itself as one of a handful of relevant names in a genre that initially seemed destined for the dustbin.
Perhaps realizing that plodding breakdowns mixed with technical, chugging riffs and Cookie Monster growling didn’t possess much lasting power or potential for creative expression, Whitechapel rapidly improved its output, making immense improvement from an uneven and raw debut, The Somatic Defilement (Candlelight) to the more refined and robust offering, This Is Exile (Metal Blade). Its latest, A New Era Of Corruption, cranks up the brutality and songwriting to even more devastating extremes, and the guys sound like they have more to offer than just breakdowns and blast beats. Phil Bozeman varies his throaty vocals with gut-rumbling growls and raspy howls, and the coruscating three-axe attack layers ferocious, technical leads on top of thundering grooves. Live, extreme metal often sounds like little more than noisy bludgeoning, but Whitechapel’s carnage should be well worth witnessing. (Sunday@House Of Blues with Veil Of Maya, The Acacia Strain, Chelsea Grin, and I Declare War.)
— Patrick Conlan
Category: Featured, Stage Buzz, Weekly
