On March 29, Knoxville, Tennessee death metallers WHITECHAPEL will release their seventh full-length album, "The Valley", via Metal Blade Records. Produced once again by Mark Lewis (CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) and featuring artwork by Branca Studio, the disc's title is a reference to the part of Hardin Valley (west of Knoxville) where vocalist Phil Bozeman grew up. Set against this backdrop, he approaches his subject matter unflinchingly, building upon everything that came before, making it clear that he has survived that which he was forced to endure and is not afraid to confront it.
"Phil has been upfront in his lyrics in the past about hardships he endured in his life as a child, and I believe with this record we tried to paint a better picture of that," says guitarist Alex Wade, who alongside his bandmates, stands a hundred percent behind everything their vocalist has to say. "I feel our music is Phil's release from his past, being able to get it out and speak about it, and hopefully anyone who hears it that may have gone through similar experiences can find some release in it as well."
Anyone throwing "The Valley" on for the first time will immediately recognize it as the work of WHITECHAPEL, yet, as has been the case with each release, there is also evolution in play. "Sound-wise, it's all over the place," Bozeman states plainly. "There's aggression, and then you're hit with ominous and emotional guitar riffs. It's mean, but then transfers to soft and inviting. It's a whirlwind of emotions throughout."
Starting today, WHITECHAPEL will be on the road for their "Ten Years of Exile" USA tour, commemorating the 10th anniversary of "This Is Exile". Featuring CHELSEA GRIN, OCEANO and SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL as support, this trek will see WHITECHAPEL perform "This Is Exile" in its entirety, plus a selection of other songs — and will be the last run of shows before the band tours in support of "The Valley".
It didn’t leak, I looked around, it’s not there.
It leaked yesterday ….