Formed in February 2006 by Phil Bozeman, Brandon Cagle, and Ben Savage, Knoxville, Tennessee’s Whitechapel seamlessly meld death metal, grind, and hardcore to create a blistering brand of modern death metal that leaves fans no other choice but to throw themselves into an uncontrollable frenzy on the dance floor.
In early 2006, the band finished a six song demo, which was made available exclusively on their MySpace page. By November of 2006, Whitechapel gained the attention of Siege of Amida Records for a record deal in Europe with US distribution through Candlelight Records. November also brought on new drummer, Kevin Lane, who brought an entirely new level of professionalism and technicality to the band. An accident in May of 2007 forced Brandon Cagle to depart, but was quickly replaced by Zach Householder and the lineup has held strong ever since.
Whitechapel’s musical chops shine through on their debut album, The Somatic Defilement (released via Candlelight and S.O.A.R.). The record systematically crushed those who opened their ears to it and propelled Whitechapel onto the worldwide metal scene, and has kept the band on the road ever since. They’ve shared the stage with Darkest Hour, The Red Chord, Cephalic Carnage, The Devil Wears Prada, crushed the audience at 2007’s Saints and Sinners Festival in New Jersey and will be heading out on the road in June with the Summer Slaughter Tour featuring The Black Dahlia Murder, Cryptopsy, Dying Fetus, and more!
Whitechapel stands out in today’s overcrowded metal scene due in part to their ability to fuse memorable and even groovy riffs with crushing breakdowns, tremolo picking at neck breaking speeds, and incredibly evil and dissonant sounds. Their songs demand repeated listens and gang vocals at shows are common place. Metal Maniacs even took note of the band’s unique approach to metal guitars and their incredible work ethic: “A noted characteristic is Whitechapel’s three guitar assault; without a doubt an impressive apocalyptic sound. Propelled by the band’s DIY ethics, Whitechapel is a driving force that will continue to grow through hard work and determination.”
This is a band that is true to their music and honest in their delivery. They refuse to be ignored and will continue to bring their crushing metal to show after show until metal heads worldwide have experienced the manic intensity that is Whitechapel! Expect the bands Metal Blade Records debut This is Exile in July 2008. Catch Whitechapel’s blistering and highly energetic live show on the Summer Slaughter Tour alongside metal heavy weights The Black Dahlia Murder, as well as Vader, Kataklysm, Cryptopsy, Despised Icon, Aborted, and Psycroptic just to name a few.
(Photo Credit: Phill Mamula)
