Whitechapel

Whitechapel, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2006, has seen its core – vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Zach Householder and Alex Wade, bassist Gabe Crisp – remain unchanged since 2007, except for drummer Brandon Zackey, who has been with the band since 2022.

While Hymns in Dissonance chronologically follows Kin released in 2021, the new album is actually a thematic sequel to This is Exile, with the three-word title Hymns in Dissonance representing this connection.

"No compromises; there is nothing nice in HID, whether in the riffs, lyrics or overall album vibe," says guitarist Alex Wade. "We tried to write our heaviest album to date. We wanted to release something terribly menacing and brutal.

" "The album tells the story of a cult devotee who gathers worthy people to join his sect," Wade continues, "and there are moments in the plot where cult members sing an evil hymn to open a portal allowing the cult leader to enter.

" The band's dynamic and brutal musicality serves as a soundtrack to the captivating story imagined by vocalist Phil Bozeman. "Hymns in Dissonance is a parody of the true nature of hymns," explains Bozeman. "Hymns are melodious and harmonious.

Dissonance is the opposite of melody and harmony. Dissonance represents evil. The album titles are the hymns, which embody the seven deadly sins, from track 3 to track 10. Tracks one and two are the introduction.

" The band's terrifying and timely vision was first unveiled in autumn 2024 with the single "A Visceral Retch", prompting frenzied fans to call the song "a version of Whitechapel we've never heard before. Impossible to explain how absolutely brutal this song is.

It's a dream come true. " The titular track is