White Chapel – Hymns In Dissonance
Metal Blade Records
9,0/10,0
Brief:
Whitechapel, who formed in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2006, has seen the core lineup—vocalist Phil Bozeman; guitarists Ben Savage, Zach Householder and Alex Wade; bassist Gabe Crisp—intact since 2007, with the exception of the drummer Brandon Zackey, who has been playing with the band since 2022. While Hymns in Dissonance follows 2021’s Kin chronologically, the new album is actually somewhat of a sequel to This is Exile thematically, the three-word title Hymns in Dissonance representing that correlation.
“The album follows the story of a cultist who is gathering worthy people to join his cult,” Wade furthers, “and there are moments in the storyline where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter.” The band’s dynamic, brutal musicality serves as a soundtrack to the compelling lyrical story that vocalist Phil Bozeman vividly imagines.
The band’s dynamic, brutal musicality serves as a soundtrack to the compelling lyrical story that vocalist Phil Bozeman vividly imagines. “Hymns In Dissonance is a mockery of the true nature of what hymns are,” Bozeman explains. “Hymns are melodious and harmonious. Dissonance is the opposite of melody and harmony. Dissonance represents evil. The tracks on the record are the hymns, which represent the seven deadly sins, beginning from track three to track ten. Tracks one and two are the introduction.”
The band started composing the new album at Householder’s studio in June of 2023, following their headlining tour for The Valley. The collective stuck to a strict weekday schedule, the structure allowing for maximum creativity and minimum burnout. Householder produced Hymns In Dissonance, which allowed the musicians to seamlessly switch gears from preproduction to recording the full album without skipping a beat. The guitarist shadowed producer Mark Lewis a lot over the last five WHITECHAPEL albums and bringing that influence inside the band is a full circle moment for Householder and WHITECHAPEL. “It’s cool that we can be self-sufficient and produce a record of this magnitude ourselves; not a lot of bands can say that.”
[Edited Press Release]
Tracklist:
- Prisoner 666
- Hymns In Dissonance
- Diabolic Slumber
- A Visceral Retch
- Ex Infernis
- Hate Cult Ritual
- The Abysmal Gospel
- Bedlam
- Mammoth God
- Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us
Main Focus Tracks:
- Prisoner 666
- Hymns In Dissonance
- The Abysmal Gospel
Other Recommended Tracks:
- Diabolic Slumber
- A Visceral Retch
- Hate Cult Ritual
Line-Up:
Phil Bozeman – vocals
Ben Savage – lead guitar
Alex Wade – rhythm guitar
Zach Householder – guitar
Gabe Crisp – bass
Brandon Zackey – drums
Comments:
A true masterpiece, Hymns in Dissonance is one of those unclassifiable albums that redefine the genre to which it belongs. With this album, Whitechapel propels metalcore into another dimension.
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Selected Discography:
The Somatic Defilement, 2007 – Candlelight
This Is Exile, 2008 – Metal Blade
A New Era of Corruption, 2010 – Metal Blade
Whitechapel, 2012 – Metal Blade
Our Endless War, 2014 – Metal Blade
Mark of the Blade, 2016 – Metal Blade
The Valley, 2019 – Metal Blade
Kin, 2021 – Metal Blade
Hymns in Dissonance, 2025 – Metal Blade
Photo credit: Alex Morgan