More than three years after the release of its then latest album, Kin, Whitechapel returned this month with the follow-up to that record in the form of Hymns in Dissonance. Released March 7 through Metal Blade Records, the 10-song record is a heavy work both musically and lyrically. Each of these sides will be discussed in their own right. The 43-minute record’s production rounds out its most important elements. When it is considered alongside the album’s overall content, the whole therein makes Hymns in Dissonance a work that definitely carves out a place for itself among this year’s field of new hard rock and metal albums.
Hymns in Dissonance, the latest album from veteran deathcore outfit Whitechapel (the band’s ninth album) is a powerful new presentation from the band. That is proven in part through the record’s featured musical arrangements. The arrangements are intense to say the very least. Front man Phil Bozeman’s vocals are a powerhouse display from beginning to end while the work of his band mates – Ben Savage (guitar), Alex Wade (guitar), Gabe Crisp (bass), Zach Householder (guitar), and Brandon Zackey drums) – absolutely thunder through each composition, too. The whole of the group’s work creates a unique wall of sound approach that harkens back to previous Whitechapel records, such as The Somatic Defilement (2007), and This is Exile (2008). Speaking of that latter album, it actually plays a direct role in the overall lyrical approach to this record. This will be addressed shortly. Getting back to the musical presentation of Hymns in Dissonance, the best word that can be used to describe it, considering that similarity in sound and style to the aforementioned albums, is brutal. By the time the album ends, listeners will feel breathless just from listening to the record’s musical arrangements. That in itself is a powerful statement about this album. Wade had been quoted as saying ahead of the album’s release, “We wanted to put out something that was shockingly menacing and brutal” and the band clearly succeeded therein.
Even with that in mind, there is certainly more to note to the record’s positive, including and not limited to its lyrical content. According to a news release distributed ahead of the album’s release, this record is a concept record of sorts, which is a first for Whitechapel. As Wade explained in a comment in that noted press release, “The album follows the story of a cultist who is gathering worthy people to join his cult, and there are moments in the story line where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter.” The head cultist, by the way, according to other provided information, is apparently the son of “the lord of all evil” and everyone knows who that is. As the story progresses, the cultist, gathers his cultists from those who commit the worst of the seven deadly sins all in the name of allegiance to him and his vile cause. What is ironic here is that while this is clearly a fiction, that very mentality certainly sounds like a giant orange convicted felon in the White House.
Getting back on the topic at hand, the story comes to a surprising head by its finale. That story will be left for audiences to discover for themselves. Without giving away too much, it could be argued that for all of the evil committed by the cultist and his legions, the end shows that even here evil will not win and that all he did was for naught. So in essence it is a disturbing end, but still not negative, either. Keeping all of this in mind, the overall story here is worth hearing at least once even as heavy as it is lyrically speaking.
Understanding the disturbing yet powerful depth of the story featured in Hymns in Dissonance and its clear importance to the album’s presentation alongside the album’s equally brutal musical presentation, there is still one more item to examine. That item is the production that went into this record. As noted, this record is a barnstormer from its opener to its finale. The band grips listeners throughout, never once letting go. That means that the utmost attention had to be paid to the balance of vocals and instruments in every song. That is exactly what happened, too. Yes, there are a few points here and there where it does seem like the vocals and instrumental performances wash each other out a little bit, but those moments are not enough to doom the record. That is because overwhelmingly, the two sides work in tandem for a presentation that hits listeners like a ton of bricks. The end result is a presentation that will bowl over new listeners while enveloping established audiences, leaving all involved equally moved by that aesthetic. Keeping that in mind, the impact of the production of this powerhouse presentation works alongside those songs and the album’s lyrical material to make the whole one of the most unique of this year’s new hard rock and metal albums.
Hymns in Dissonance, the latest album from Whitechapel, is a powerhouse presentation from the veteran deathcore outfit. The band’s ninth album, it stands out among its metal and hard rock counterparts so far this year in part because of its musical arrangements, which are absolutely brutal. The lyrical material that accompanies that musical content, adds to the interest because it is such a unique tale, even for a concept record. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole, ensuring an aesthetic impact that further makes the wall of sound approach so immersive. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album. All things considered they make Hymns in Dissonance a work that definitely deserves being heard at least once.
Whitechapel is touring in support of Hymns in Dissonance. The band’s tour launched March 18 in Raleigh, NC. The band’s next scheduled performance on its itinerary is tonight in Minneapolis, MN. From there the band will next stop Sunday in Lincoln, NE.
More information on Whitechapel’s new album and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: http://www.whitechapelband.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/whitechapelmetal
Twitter: http://twitter.com/whitechapelband
