“An unhinged arsenal of screams and gutturals as he narrates the tale of a demonic cult.” Whitechapel just made one of this year’s most brutally intense metal albums

They may have been overtaken as the poster boys of deathcore, but few can challenge Whitechapel for consistency over such a long period. Furthermore, their authentic evolution since their first, blistering forays has culminated in 2019’s The Valley and 2021’s Kin being their most widely praised albums. Nonetheless, having shaken off deathcore’s confines to mine more emotionally intense and melodic seams, the Tennessee sextet have professed a desire to head back to the furious abandon that characterised their early efforts, The Somatic Defilement and classic This Is Exile.

Proving that the more seasoned can still mix it with the young breed, Hymns In Dissonance is a measured but assuredly ugly slab of modern deathcore. But while it spits venom and strikes with serrated blades, it does so with a bit of class. Having exorcised demons on recent outings, frontman Phil Bozeman recaptures the wild abandon of yesteryear with an unhinged arsenal of screams and gutturals as he narrates the tale of a demonic cult.

And while there are some of the meatiest breakdowns the band have summoned in years on the likes of A Visceral Retch and Bedlam’s hammer blows, there’s too much guile among the tri-guitar writing core to make Hymns In Dissonance a juvenile throwback. Diabolic Slumber’s eerie atmosphere lurks before exploding into a wall of tremolo discord, Hate Cult Ritual has classic leads that cut through the blasting and belligerent chants, and Mammoth God’s unsettling, melancholic undercurrent permeates while being pummelled. Finally, Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us ends in gorgeous guitar harmonies that head into a swift sunrise following the previous 40 minutes of fiendish darkness.

In a field where bands are happy to tinker with the same old tropes, Whitechapel deserve further praise for, once again, keeping their fans on their toes.

Hymns In Dissonance is out March 7 via Metal Blade.

Rugby, Sean Bean and power ballad superfan Adam has been writing for Hammer since 2007, and has a bad habit of constructing sentences longer than most Dream Theater songs. Can usually be found cowering at the back of gigs in Bristol and Cardiff. Bruce Dickinson once called him a ‘sad bastard’.

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