National Music Review by Jeremy Thomas: Whitechapel

Band: Whitechapel
Album/Release: A New Era of Corruption/ 6-8-2010

Before this review kicks off, you should understand something. If the following things apply to you, you will probably not be interested in my opinion on this CD:

1. Did you like Whitechapel's last effort, "This is Exile"?
2. Do you like the sound of The Black Dahlia Murder, but hate the impressive technicality?
3. Do you enjoy your deathcore with a splash of nu-metal, akin to old Slipknot?

If so, please immediately navigate away from this page, go to www.hottopic.com or www.shockhound.com and purchase this album. Burn it, put it in your car and jam it until it wears out. This is your CD, through and through. Go see them live, meet the guys, they are all very friendly guys, and they put on a hell of a live show. If you are unsure about any of the above, or they do not agree with your views ofa "good" album, please continue reading.

The Tennessee 6-piece, Whitechapel has been on a roll as of late. The poster children of the new era of death metal "deathcore" as it’s called; they have enjoyed great success (Borat) in their scene. "The Somatic Defilement" introduced their style of deathcore, and "This is Exile" completely redefined it, while refining their style. The eagerly anticipated follow up "A New Era of Corruption", promisednothing but the same. Blast beats, breakdowns, and bass drops galore, while their diminutive singer Phil growled on top of all of it. With a formula firmly engrained in their fan base, they release "A New Era of Corruption".

And fail.

And that may sound harsh, and in all respects, it may be. But as talented as these guys are, this album falls short of any goal they could possibly set for it. Before I trash it though, let’s go over some good things about this record.

Whitechapel fans will immediately latch on to the 6th track "Unnerving". This is the hallmark song of this record, by all intents and purposes. Two solid breakdowns, up-tempo riffs, and an epic intro to boot, there's no reason this song won't become a live staple for the band. I will also commend the balls of this CD to really push a ton of different ideas. I really feel like they realized that they were settling into a niche and tried their hardest to break out of that. The last track, "Single File to Dehumanization", has the potential to have a great overall sound and progression to it, something a bit different for the band. They really tried to write a song that's heavy, but catchy at the same time. Unfortunately, many of the problems that plague the rest of the CD hold this track back.

First of all, the guitar on this record is a huge change of pace from their last two albums. Leads and solos on every song, to the point of absolute frustration. If I could post my notes on this record, I think I used the phrase "I get it, you can play guitar" about 8 times. Unfortunately, my notes are riddled with profanity as much as this record is gorged by ridiculous leads and bad solos. As I mentioned, they really tried to make the last track work with some guitar melody, but that's not their thing. They are obviously in over their heads on it, and it never goes anywhere. So the obvious question is "Why didn’t they stick with what they know, and make it great?" My thoughts exactly. They did have some tracks that could have easily been B-sides from "This is Exile", but that's what they sound like, B-sides. Not memorable at all, nothing that stands out. There are 2-3 tracks on this record that I didn't even know existed; I thought they were just a part of the last song, with a tempo and slight rhythm change.

Vocally, this band has regressed in a big way. Normally, in this genre, that's not a huge issue. Unfortunately, when your first 2 CDs are well known for the vocals standing out, and the lyrics being immediately recognizable, vocals become much more relevant. They tried some vocal effects, something a bit different, but it ends up getting lost most of the time. Lyrically, it seems like this record went from being about personal experience and things that they were emotionally attached to, to what everyone else is writing about. Religion, murder, and general immorality are the topics on the plate, which is nothing new in the genre. It just doesn't stand out.

Overall, this record just falls short. I can't sum it up any better than that.