There's a future for Whitechapel
This edition wraps up the series of the discs that Metal Blade records sent my way. This week, the focus is on a band that has been on many metal fans radars for the past year and a half — two years and will only get bigger from this point forward. The band: Whitechapel.
Whitechapel
This Is Exile
This is Whitechapel's second disc, but the first for Metal Blade. I had a bitch of a time tracking down (at least at a decent price) Whitechapel's first release The Somatic Defilement after reading rave reviews and sampling a track from Terrorizer magazine's sample disc. It was a crushing assault of metal. When I heard the band signed to Metal Blade, I was actually quite relieved knowing that I would be able to find this in most music stores around London.
The band's sophomore effort doesn't stray too far from the blueprint laid down on their previous disc. The band's three guitarist assault of death metal/thrash metal licks mixed in with some amazing blastbeat/double bass drumming bring this band to the front of the “deathcore” music scene (I hate all these sub-labels). After a few spins and comparing the disc to their last, the boys in the band have really worked hard in bringing more memorable and crushing structures to their songs.
For those of you who hate total “cookie monster” vocals throughout a disc or confusing mathcore riffing without any stop or change in tempo, you don't have to worry with this band. They mix it up enough for the disc as a whole to bring different aspects of metal to the plate. There are some really good groove break downs to keep your head bobbing at certain parts of each tune.
If you've enjoyed new or past releases from bands like Aborted, Suicide Silence, Arsis and Origin, then you'll definitely love this disc. Can't wait for the next one!
Essential Listening:
Primus
Sailing the Seas of Cheese
You're going to find that I'll be placing many “that's not metal” discs in this section (and reviewing them, too — stay tuned for next week) and this is just the start.
This disc, released in 1991 brought Primus to the attention of the mainstream. With their two hits off this disc, “Tommy the Cat” (featured in the movie “Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey”) and “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” the band brought the combination of funk, metal, pop, jazz and downright wackiness to the music populace.
Bassist Les Claypool showed musicians (especially the alternative music scene that was huge at the time) that the bass can be used for more than just following the guitar while guitarist Larry LaLonde (once of metal pioneers Possessed) that you didn't have to just play riff after riff to make a song catchy or memorable.
No one in my mind has ever been or come close to touching Primus' uniqueness. If you haven't heard them before, this one is essential listening.
Whitechapel
This Is Exile
This is Whitechapel's second disc, but the first for Metal Blade. I had a bitch of a time tracking down (at least at a decent price) Whitechapel's first release The Somatic Defilement after reading rave reviews and sampling a track from Terrorizer magazine's sample disc. It was a crushing assault of metal. When I heard the band signed to Metal Blade, I was actually quite relieved knowing that I would be able to find this in most music stores around London.
The band's sophomore effort doesn't stray too far from the blueprint laid down on their previous disc. The band's three guitarist assault of death metal/thrash metal licks mixed in with some amazing blastbeat/double bass drumming bring this band to the front of the “deathcore” music scene (I hate all these sub-labels). After a few spins and comparing the disc to their last, the boys in the band have really worked hard in bringing more memorable and crushing structures to their songs.
For those of you who hate total “cookie monster” vocals throughout a disc or confusing mathcore riffing without any stop or change in tempo, you don't have to worry with this band. They mix it up enough for the disc as a whole to bring different aspects of metal to the plate. There are some really good groove break downs to keep your head bobbing at certain parts of each tune.
If you've enjoyed new or past releases from bands like Aborted, Suicide Silence, Arsis and Origin, then you'll definitely love this disc. Can't wait for the next one!
Essential Listening:
Primus
Sailing the Seas of Cheese
You're going to find that I'll be placing many “that's not metal” discs in this section (and reviewing them, too — stay tuned for next week) and this is just the start.
This disc, released in 1991 brought Primus to the attention of the mainstream. With their two hits off this disc, “Tommy the Cat” (featured in the movie “Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey”) and “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” the band brought the combination of funk, metal, pop, jazz and downright wackiness to the music populace.
Bassist Les Claypool showed musicians (especially the alternative music scene that was huge at the time) that the bass can be used for more than just following the guitar while guitarist Larry LaLonde (once of metal pioneers Possessed) that you didn't have to just play riff after riff to make a song catchy or memorable.
No one in my mind has ever been or come close to touching Primus' uniqueness. If you haven't heard them before, this one is essential listening.
