Apr 302012
 

Growth. That’s one thing we metal elitists like to see in a band’s evolution. Tennessee’s Whitechapel is definitely growing, and I don’t just mean in popularity. Today, Metal Blade unveiled the cover to Whitechapel’s new album (above), which is self-titled, as well as the track list. They also began streaming a new song from the album called “Hate Creation”.

I saw Whitechapel on their first U.S. tour, when they were an unknown bunch of deathcore upstarts. They had staying power. They amassed a big following and they helped spawn a wave of imitators. Some of those early deathcore progenitors have gotten stuck in a rut. Others have moved on in different directions, perhaps most prominently Job For A Cowboy, who have evolved into a solid death metal band. “Hate Creation” is evidence that Whitechapel is following a similar path.

I certainly wouldn’t claim that Whitechapel has completely left behind the defining tropes of deathcore, but “Hate Creation” is definitely another step along the road toward death metal mecca, and it’s one of the best songs they’ve yet created.

It hits like a phalanx of artillery in full bombardment mode, with explosive blasts that sound like they might be announcing breakdowns, except the pacing doesn’t really drop. The dynamics of the song are enhanced by stuttering, slightly off-kilter rhythms, speed and increased complexity in the riffing, and variations in the intensity of the onslaught, plus there’s a muted melody that I think will catch the song in people’s heads. And Phil Bozeman’s vocals are suitably violent and raw.

Give the song a shot after the jump, and past that we’ll give you more details about the album and about the band’s forthcoming tour.

“Hate Creation”
 


 

The new album will be released on June 19 in the U.S. and a day earlier in Europe. It can be pre-ordered through the Metal Blade landing page for the band. Whitechapel will also be touring extensively this spring and summer, including their appearances in the Rockstar Mayhem festival. Here’s the full schedule:

The” Recorruptour” Tour — with Miss May I, After the Burial, Within the Ruins, The Plot In You

5/3: Louisville, KY @ Expo Five
5/4: Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
5/5: Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco
5/8: Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
5/9: Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live
5/10: Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
5/12: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall Indoor Stage
5/13: Huntington, WV @ Big Sandy Supercenter Grand
5/15: Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
5/16: S. Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
5/17: Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall

Bamboozle
5/18: Asbury Park, NJ @ North Beach

Headlining Dates

6/26: Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music
6/27: Austin, TX @ Emo’s East

Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival w/ Slipknot, Slayer, As I Lay Dying

6/30: San Bernadino, CA @ San Manuel Theater
7/1: Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
7/3: Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheater
7/4: Nampa, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheater
7/5: Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound**
7/6: Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
7/7: Albuquerque, NM @ Hard Rock Casino Presents The Pavilion
7/8: Englewood, CO @ Comfort Dental Amphitheater
7/9: Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion**(w/ The Devil Wears Prada)
7/10: Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
7/11: Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
7/13: Tampa, FL @ 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheater
7/14: Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
7/15: Indianapolis, IN @ Klipsch Music Center
7/18: Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheater
7/20: Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7/21: Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
7/22: Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Center
7/24: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7/25: Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
7/26: Syracuse, NY @ The Lost Horizon**(w/ Upon a Burning Body, I the Breather)
7/27: Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7/28: Burgettstown, PA @ First Niagara Pavilion
7/29: Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
7/31: Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
8/1: Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe**
8/3: Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center
8/4: Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
8/5: Hartford, CT @ The Comcast Theater

**Headline shows. Not a part of Mayhem Fest

  23 Responses to “WHITECHAPEL: NEW ALBUM DETAILS, TOUR INFO, AND A NEW SINGLE – “HATE CREATION””

  1. Really good song. I’ve had a soft-spot for Whitechapel since “A New Error Of Corruption”. Very Vader-esque that album was.

    Don’t like the spoken-word bit in the middle (it rarely, if ever works, particularly with an American accent), though the atmosphere around it is nice and dark.

    Still, Whitechapel need to stop associating with lesser bands.

  2. never liked this band, but have to say this was a good suprise

  3. Gotta agree with Rafael. I always thought this band was just more derivative deathcore, but that was actually pretty memorable and technical. If the rest of the album is similar in quality they may just have found themselves a new fan. Oh, and the spoken word works well in this is song imo. Spoken word sections are often hit or miss, but this one hits.

  4. I’ll have to listen to it again because I couldn’t turn the volume too far up at the moment, but what I heard was pretty good. I liked their last full-length, but it got old after some time and the thought of it being deathcore made me feel uncomfortable… part of me wishes I had kept it though.

  5. From Tennessee. Worked the state flag symbolism into the album art. Not a single goddamn tour stop in Tennessee. WTF???

  6. By the way guys, does that album cover sort of remind you of the book that had the cover made of human skin that was featured in the latest “That’s Metal”?

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