{"id":77534,"date":"2019-03-28T14:00:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T14:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=77534"},"modified":"2023-04-07T14:23:54","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T13:23:54","slug":"review-whitechapel-the-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-whitechapel-the-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Whitechapel – The Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"After dipping their toes into more experimental waters on 2016\u2019s \u2018Mark of the Blade<\/em>\u2019 Whitechapel<\/strong> have dived straight in with new album \u2018The Valley<\/em>\u2019. The pure deathcore sound of old is gone. Instead, relentless riffing is blended with a diverse range of grooves and soundscapes. So, while you certainly recognise where its roots lie, the album feels expansive and pleasingly different.<\/p>\n

\u2018When a Demon Becomes a Witch<\/em>\u2019 leads out with a delicate guitar refrain and features haunting vocals \u2013 yes, you read that correctly. Yes, there are grunts and battering riffs too, but it isn\u2019t what you expect at all. It\u2019s odd but works surprisingly well. Likewise, \u2018Forgiveness Is Weakness<\/em>\u2019 might feel familiar as it kicks off like a deathcore lawnmower but importantly, it doesn\u2019t stay safe for long, nothing here does, which is the record\u2019s real strength.<\/p>\n

Much has been made of vocalist Phil Bozeman\u2019s singing voice, mainly because he sounds like Corey Taylor, but that\u2019s definitely a compliment. Particularly on the slow, atmospheric \u2018Hickory Creek<\/em>\u2019 which is the band\u2019s first song relying purely on clean vocals. Elsewhere, Bozeman is as powerful and grunty as ever, while lyrically, he keeps things honest and mixes in a more grounded style, dishing out heartfelt sentiment amongst more fanciful passages.<\/p>\n