Tennessee's Whitechapel have only been around a few years now, but the darlings of Metal Blade Records are making a real push to become the next leaders of the modern death metal scene, or 'death-core' as it's often referred to. New Era of Corruption is their latest release, and it's a pretty damn good one for what it is. Though it's obvious the band has listened to their fair share of Lamb of God, Vader, and Meshuggah records, Whitechapel have their sound down pat, delivering a furious onslaught of death metal ferocity with a backbone of brutal & punishing hardcore that, quite frankly, leaves many other bands of a similar style completely in their wake.
Stars of the show here are vocalist Phil Bozeman & lead guitarist Ben Savage. Bozeman has one of the better growls in the business right now-this guy is downright scary with his unhuman bellow, which, ironically enough, you can pretty much understand almost everything he is growling & screaming. That's not something you can normally say about a lot of death metal/grindcore vocalists these days. His deathly bark on "Devolver", "The Darkest Day of Man" and "Reprogrammed to Hate" is absolutely punishing to say the least. There are also no shortage of brutal riffs and tasty solos & harmony lines on New Era of Corruption, and though I sense a slightly less technical aspect here as compared to their previous releases, the end result is no less bludgeoning. From the crushing riff-o-rama of "End of Flesh" to the squealing pinch harmonic mayhem of "Necromechanical", if it's brutal, monstrous guitar work you crave, there's plenty of it here. Throw in a wide assortment of intricate, pummmeling rhythms, and you have an album that might not be the most original you've ever heard, but certainly an enjoyable extreme metal release nontheless.
Whitechapel won't make you forget about the greats of the genre, but they are a powerful force to be reckoned with, and New Era of Corruption deserves your attention.
Track Listing
1. Devolver (3:58)
2. Breeding Violence (3:19)
3. The Darkest Day of Man (3:00)
4. Reprogrammed to Hate (3:45)
5. End of Flesh (4:03)
6. Unnerving (3:39)
7. A Future Corrupt (2:57)
8. Prayer of Mockery (3:35)
9. Murder Sermon (3:59)
10. Necromechanical (4:21)
11. Single File to Dehumanization (4:43)
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