Whitechapel have announced a March 29th release date for their 7th full-length, The Valley, via Metal Blade Records. The group teamed up once again with producer Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder) and artist Branca Studio helming the artwork. The record’s title is a reference to the part of Hardin Valley in Tennessee where frontman Phil Bozeman grew up, and focuses on his childhood experiences. He explains:
“It’s all about me as a child, and some of it is me looking back on that time from the perspective of now. Also, it’s my interpretation of my mom’s struggles and her different personalities. She had a journal that contained very disturbing and sometimes evil writings, and some of her quotes and a lot of that journal is in the lyrics.”
Guitarist Alex Wade says:
“Phil has been upfront in his lyrics in the past about hardships he endured in his life as a child, and I believe with this record we tried to paint a better picture of that.
I feel our music is Phil’s release from his past, being able to get it out and speak about it, and hopefully anyone who hears it that may have gone through similar experiences can find some release in it as well.”
Regarding the record’s sound, Bozeman offered:
“Sound-wise, it’s all over the place. There’s aggression, and then you’re hit with ominous and emotional guitar riffs. It’s mean, but then transfers to soft and inviting. It’s a whirlwind of emotions throughout.”
Wade adds:
“Lyrically, emotionally, melody wise, there are not many ‘happy’ sounding parts on this record. Our last album, Mark of the Blade (2016) did not sound exactly ‘happy’ either, but the majority of those songs did not have much emotion or vibe behind them, they were just straightforward metal songs. These songs have a darker, more melancholic presentation to them.
We have expanded on the sound we created on Mark Of The Blade and created a more cohesive work of art overall. I believe our fans will be able to hear and appreciate the overall mood and vibe that we created with this record, which applies to every aspect of it, including the artwork. Moreover, we are stronger now as a band than we have been in the past few years, and I hope that we are able to look back on this album and see it as a major transitioning period of our career, in a positive way.”
The first single off The Valley, titled “Brimstone”, has debuted online and can be heard below. Pre-orders are also live and can be picked up at MetalBlade.com/Whitechapel.
The Valley track listing:
1. “When A Demon Defiles A Witch”
2. “Forgiveness Is A Weakness”
3. “Brimstone”
4. “Hickory Creek”
5. “Black Bear”
6. “We Are One”
7. “The Other Side”
8. “Third Depth”
9. “Lovelace”
10. “Doom Woods”
