WHITECHAPEL – Streaming New Song

WHITECHAPEL has debuted a new track from their upcoming album, The Valley, which is due out on March 29 through Metal Blade. The song is titled “Black Bear” and available for streaming above.

Their last album was the most decimating of their career, and there is no stopping the juggernaut that is Whitechapel. Our Endless War was the culmination of everything the Knoxville, Tennessee sextet have worked toward since their inception. A ruthlessly honed album that refuses to compromise on brutality, it is also by far their most streamlined, atmospheric, and emotionally powerful release, pushing every aspect of their sound to the next level. “The record grasps everything that we’ve done thus far,” states guitarist Alex Wade. “It’s got some of the elements from Whitechapel (2012), but also some from A New Era Of Corruption (2010) and This Is Exile (2008). It brings back the blastbeats and really aggressive sounding stuff from those earlier records, but it also has a lot of layers and some slower, more groove-oriented songs, which have become a big part of what we do.”

To track the album, the band once again teamed up with producer Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder). “Mark has done the last three records so we are all aware of each other’s work ethic from the start. I was pressed for time on lyrics but I always like to write when I’m pressured. Makes it easier for me somehow,” says vocalist Phil Bozeman.

“Sound-wise, it’s all over the place,” Bozeman adds. “There’s aggression, and then you’re hit with ominous and emotional guitar riffs. It’s mean, but then transfers to soft and inviting. It’s a whirlwind of emotions throughout.”

“Lyrically, emotionally, melody wise, there are not many ‘happy’ sounding parts on this record,” states guitarist Alex Wade. “Our last album, Mark of the Blade (2016) did not sound exactly ‘happy’ either, but the majority of those songs did not have much emotion or vibe behind them, they were just straightforward metal songs. These songs have a darker, more melancholic presentation to them.” With vocalist Phil Bozeman having never held back when it comes to speaking his mind, and delivering lyrics as uncompromising as his decimating vocals, this time around he gets even more personal, and in looking to the hardships of his childhood the music needed to fit the tone. “It’s all about me as a child, and some of it is me looking back on that time from the perspective of now,” he explains. “Also, it’s my interpretation of my mom’s struggles and her different personalities. She had a journal that contained very disturbing and sometimes evil writings, and some of her quotes and a lot of that journal is in the lyrics.”