Whitechapel
Hymns in Dissonance
Metal Blade
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the new Whitechapel album and an exercise in giving the fans what they want in a display that George Lucas could learn a lot from. Opening with Prisoner 666 it’s immediately apparent that the Whitechapel we knew is back and Phil Bozeman is on rapid fire rap roaring form with nary a clean vocal in sight. It’s worth noting there’s nothing like having your first track revolve around chanting 666 loudly to get the moshpit onboard. Title track Hymns In Dissonance is full deathly blasting glory that will be igniting furious circle pits from Download to Wacken. Lead single A Visceral Wretch is as disgustingly good fun as it’s title suggests. Personally I enjoyed Whitechapel’s experimental phase on albums like Kin and The Valley but the prospect of a nasty Whitechapel album caused major ripples the second the new material started emerging. Hate Cult Ritual will surely become another anthem for this deathcore attack team and Mammoth God is the only nod to their more ponderous side and even then it’s a fleeting one. This is the Whitechapel that occupied so much T-shirt space in the 2000s and it’s actually a lot nastier with their years expertise and experience behind them. This is blunt force trauma in musical form and I can hear the crowds rejoicing as we speak. Let’s see if this back to basics revision catches on with their OG deathcore friends.
Review by George Miller