Closing in on twenty years since their formation, Whitechapel have maintained their status as an exceptionally successful deathcore band. Over their last few albums, the band have included more melodic, complex, progressive elements and the use of clean vocals. As is the case for many metal bands who evolve their sound, the variation in sound from albums such as This Is Exile or A New Era of Corruption, was a step too far for some fans. However, while no less penetrating, The Valley and Kin are more mature albums the band needed to make for themselves and for their own development, and there certainly is no shortage of aggression or angst within the music or the lyrics.
Live In The Valley was recorded in the band’s hometown of Knoxville at their seventh annual Christmas benefit, where the band decided to play a set focussing on songs from The Valley and Kin. The album is divided into three distinct sections: six songs from The Valley, followed by five songs from Kin and two songs from previous albums. Apart from on one occasion, tracks appear in the same order as on their parent album, aiding in the journey across both of them during the concert. Guitarist Alex Wade elaborates, “We thought this would be a good way to close the chapter on these albums before we start recording our ninth album. Along with the audio we shot two live videos to accompany the live album release.”
Fans will know that the subject matter of The Valley and Kin relate directly to vocalist Phil Bozeman’s childhood memories and experiences and the troubles he endured due to his mother’s struggle with mental health, with several of the lyrics coming straight from his mother’s journals. Both albums succeeded in balancing the heavier elements, the shadowy, melancholic narrative and the more intricate moments of the music.
Beginning with When A Demon Defiles A Witch (the opening track on The Valley), immediately we are plunged into a foreboding, intense world. Based on notes made in Phil Bozeman’s mother’s journals, the title of the song relates to her visions or hallucinations of a demon outside or by the fireplace. They appear / I remember when the fire was security, now it's killing me / A wolf can't hunt without its prey, so take me to my grave / The demons dance by the fireside / But tonight they migrate to my bedside. Trenchant and impassioned, the band and crowd are fully committed from the first note. With the audio recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered by guitarist Zach Householder, there is a perfect counterpoise between Whitechapel’s overall belligerent sound, the need to hear the different members of the band and the crowd’s interactions. As the set progresses through the songs from The Valley, it is clear that audience and band alike hold this set of songs dear to their heart. "To me, it was like the stars aligning for us to create our almost perfect record in regard to song writing, vocals, the mix and master, and the artwork," says guitarist Alex Wade. "We like to look at our albums as chapters of our career, and that is one chapter I will never forget. I think it really solidified that we can embrace a new sound, and if we execute it properly, then the fanbase is going to support and enjoy it."
Songs on The Valley inhabit real places from Bozeman’s past and recording the album in their hometown must have brought the intimate lyrics even deeper meaning such as during the introduction to Hickory Creek - the first Whitechapel song to feature entirely clean vocals. “This next song is about a road that’s here in Knoxville.” Bozeman took time to come to terms with what happened during his formative years and he does not hold back with his lyrics about the traumatic events of the time. This path I walk is comforting / But now I'm left to sing this song alone / I'm fading faster now / It's time to walk away with nothing left / Nothing left in my soul / I've faded into myself. Among the best vocalists in the genre, Bozeman is exciting, provoking and sonorous - easily switching between clean and growling vocals. The three-pronged guitar team of Ben Savage, Alex Wade and Zach Householder allow both depth and breadth to live within Whitechapel’s sound; live, this even more apparent as they rattle through several exhilarating tracks: Forgiveness is Weakness, Brimstone, Black Bear and a particularly absorbing Doom Woods.
Kin did not only build on the direction taken on The Valley but saw Whitechapel expanding their sound yet further, producing an album of incredible depth, breadth and quality. Looking back on the relationship between the The Valley and Kin, Phil Bozeman reflects on the genesis of the latter. "I feel with every album, we learn what worked best on the last one and try to utilize that in our writing. Early in the writing, there was some discussion of the album being like The Valley Part II, not literally called that, but in how the songs sound and flow through it. It's very much a storytelling type record like The Valley was. Musically, we just want to create what we vibe with at the given moment. We write music with how we feel and not what is expected of us, while lyrically the idea of continuing from the story of The Valley was always the goal."
Kin (what Bozeman calls “a fictional take on a non-fictional story) is a deeper examination of the personal effect on Bozeman following the death of his parents, his relationship with his stepfather and his departure from home. He develops an evil inner-self (who refuses to believe the truth about the tragedies) and the story tells of the battle between this and his true self, and his journey into a murky, sinister world.
I Will Find You, one of the essential songs on Kin, opens the second half of the show, Bozeman finding yet another level of delivery, Gabe Crisp driving the song with his jackhammer bass. Anticure, Orphan and Lost Boy (one of the live videos referred to by Wade – although it makes sense that the entire show was filmed and therefore could be released in its entirety) all examine inner turmoil, both real and esoteric. Weaved into the narrative is a dark ritual (A Blood-Soaked Symphony) during which the protagonist attempts to resurrect his parents. Mother, I pray that your voice sings me to sleep / To save my sanity from the sound of this blood-soaked symphony Father, I pray that your hand is warm again / My pain will never end / Until you both come back to me / Come back to me. Visceral, searing and compelling, it is one of the highlights of the entire gig.
Ending with the title track of This Is Exile and The Saw Is The Law from Our Endless War, Whitechapel show, while simultaneously giving fans of their earliest material something to revel in, that they are still capable of playing these songs with all the ferocity they did ten or fifteen years ago.
With a live album focussing so deeply on two previous releases, fans enjoyment will be directly linked to their views on the related studio albums. Whitechapel are potent and fervent throughout while displaying a high level of technical control allowing even the heaviest moments to be clear and precise, without losing any of their puissance. If Whitechapel truly see this album as the closing of a chapter, it will be intriguing to see where they head next.
Written: 21st January 2024
Live In The Valley is release digitally on 26th January 2024.
Watch the video for Lost Boy below.
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