Review: Whitechapel – “Our Endless War”

Whitechapel’s new album Our Endless War drops on the 29th, but we’re here to give you the latest scoop on what we think of the album. Check it out after the jump, along with a recent interview w/guitarist Zach Householder (which you can find here).

Written by: Jeremy King

After what seems like centuries of waiting (but really, just under 2 years) the boys in Whitechapel are at it again. With the release of their new album, “Our Endless War”, the Tennessee metal powerhouse shows us quite how diverse they can be. Fans will notice this as soon as they see the album cover. Bearing a remarkably plain logo, contrary to the familiar logo they’ve had since “This Is Exile”, the album automatically exudes a no-nonsense feel. Things have changed. With their first single, “The Saw is the Law”, Whitechapel embrace their emblem, the “Tennessee Saw Blade”, which is simply the Tennessee Titans logo etched within a saw blade. Paying homage to their home state of Tennessee with lines like “Welcome to the Deep South”, Whitechapel definitively prove that they are ready to stray from the original lyric style the fans know and love. You can definitely tell the band has abandoned the lyrical style found in older albums, for a more worldly perspective.

Alongside the lyrical change, vocalist Phil Bozeman experiments with mid-ranged vocals, something extremely out of the ordinary for this monstrous vocalist. The guitar style has also changed, from crunch chords and ambient chords to single-note, more technical lines that fall more in the lines of “djent” and progressive bands. But they have not abandoned the tried and true characteristics that make Whitechapel what they are.

The drums follow the new style with very thick, heavy breakdowns, straying away from the quick bursts of kick drums during breakdowns and instead siding with well-phrased, syncopated kicks, placed well enough to throw you off, but keep the groove. Where the tempo matches, the drums still pull through with the old-school blasts that leave nothing to question. When it boils down to it, diehard fans of Whitechapel will likely be taken aback by this release. But the open-minded fans will be thoroughly impressed by the diversity and bravery of this new release. It’s definitely worth checking out.