Whitechapel

An uncompromising deathcore outfit based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, Whitechapel (named for the London neighborhood where the notorious Jack the Ripper disposed of most of his victims) combine grindcore, hardcore, and melodic black metal into an unholy trinity of sonic malevolence. Emerging in 2007 with the punitive Somatic Defilement, the group issued a string of dark underground gems before bloodying up the mainstream with the release of 2014′s Our Endless War. They continued to find success both at home and abroad with subsequent efforts Mark of the Blade (2016), The Valley (2019), and Kin (2021).
Formed in 2006 by Phil Bozeman, Brandon Cagle, and Ben Savage, the lineup grew with the arrivals of guitarist Alex Wade, bassist Gabe Crisp, and drummer Derek Martin, all of whom appeared on the band’s 2006 self-produced demo. A European record deal with the Siege of Amida label and a distribution deal with Candlelight soon followed, resulting in the release of the group’s debut long-player, The Somatic Defilement, in 2007. That same year, the band parted ways with Savage and Martin, who were replaced by guitarist Zach Householder and drummer Kevin Lane.
After signing on with Metal Blade, Whitechapel returned with their sophomore effort, This Is Exile, in 2008, followed shortly thereafter by A New Era of Corruption in 2010. In 2011, the group parted ways with Lane, replacing the drummer with Ben Harclerode, who made his debut on the remix EP Recorrupted later that year. Whitechapel returned in 2012 with a self-titled album, which was followed by their fifth set, Our Endless War, in 2014, the latter of which debuted at number one the Billboard Hard Rock Charts and garnered near-universal acclaim in the metal community. 2015 saw the release of the crowdfunded live CD/DVD Brotherhood of the Blade, which fans regarded as another high point.
The band re-entered the studio at the beginning of 2016 with producer Mark Lewis (Black Dahlia Murder, Cannibal Corpse), completing 11 new songs that showcased an evolution in their deathcore sound to include both clean and dirty vocals. The resulting Mark of the Blade arrived later that June and soared to the top of the U.S. hard rock charts. Whitechapel continued to seek out a more melodic style of death metal on 2019′s The Valley and 2021′s Kin, both of which also saw chart success. ~ James Christopher Monger