WHITECHAPEL were formed in 2006, and they are from Knoxville, Tennessee. The Deathcore band have an impressive discography to their name, comprising of one EP, two live albums, and eight full-length albums. Album number nine has a length of about 43 minutes. “Hymns In Dissonance” was released via US Heavy Metal and extreme Metal specialists Metal Blade Records. The album starts with the track “Prisoner 666” and the song starts with a short tension-building, atmospheric intro, transitioning into a hammering Deathcore track at a measured tempo. The main riff and the atmosphere are smartly carried over from the intro. The vocals are mostly deep-lying growls with some highly pitched screams added to the mix. There are several twists in tempo with a few parts at blistering pace. The track also includes a contributing lead guitar solo. It all concludes with a huge breakdown. The title track is frantic and pummeling. “Hymns In Dissonance” is a blast-beat driven track at insane pace until the breakdown during the middle part of the track. The melodic framework is grim with some melancholic traces in it. However, melancholy is only a side note when it comes to describing the track, as the focus is on hammering and the breakdowns. There are two of them as the second one finishes the track. “Hymns In Dissonance” has been released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below. “Diabolic Slumber” continues with the Deathcore assault. It is a track with many twists and turns in tempo and rhythm. Likewise, the vocals switch constantly between deep growls and highly pitched screams. The lead guitars provide a chilling atmosphere, while the riffs are devastating.  “Diabolic Slumber” is one of the album highlights.

“A Visceral Retch” starts with thunderous riffs, leading into a verse part at crazy pace and highly pitched screams. The insanity lasts until the breakdown, and from then onwards, it goes back and forth with the rhythm, driven by the blast-beats and a few double-bass attacks. The guitars provide, once again, a dark atmosphere, and the lead guitars include a few oriental vibes. “Ex Infernis” is a grim atmospheric inter-lude, transitioning into the hammering “Hate Cult Ritual”. The pace of the track is insane with punishing riffs and constant blast-beat thunderstorms. The extended lead guitar solo is very contributing and is neo-classical inspired. “Hate Cult Ritual” is one of the few tracks played at the same crazy speed throughout. Almost, as there is a down-tempo sequence at the end of the track. “The Abysmal Gospel” starts with an extended instrumental part driven by thunderous guitar riffs at a sluggish rhythm, leading into another verse part of insanity and blistering pace. The guitar riffing is very direct and aggressive and is supported by plenty of blast-beats. The vocals are a mixture of deep-lying and higher pitched growls. There is a down-tempo break during the middle part of the track, where a grim atmosphere and melodies are at the heart of it. However, the track circles back to the initial aggressive hammering.

“Bedlam” is a very powerful track at a measured tempo and sluggish rhythm with thunderous guitar riffs. The melodies are spine-chilling, and the guitars add a dark atmosphere to the track. There are only a few subtle changes in tempo and rhythm unlike at the other album tracks. “Mammoth God” starts with the verse part at a measured tempo, however, there is a seamless transition into a blast-beat driven part at crazy pace. The guitar riffing is punishing during the verse parts. The break for the lead guitar solo is also played at high tempo and the solo itself has a few Rock vibes, which adds a different layer to the track. It all concludes with a second lead guitar solo, which brings a few Heavy Metal vibes to the mix. The album finishes with the hammering “Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us” and this one is a fine mixture of crazy pace lead by the blast-beats interrupted by down-tempo parts, and a huge breakdown during the middle part of the track. The guitar riffs are, once again, devastating and thunderous. It is all combined with fine lead guitar contributions, that add an extra dimension to the track. The song ends with the lead guitar solo which brings chill and darkness to the sound.  “Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us” is a good way to end the album.

WHITECHAPEL deliver Deathcore at superb quality. “Hymns In Dissonance” contains all the best elements of modern Deathcore: devastating riffs, hammering blast-beats, bone-chilling atmosphere, and huge breakdowns. All is kept together perfectly by an excellent vocalist. “Hymns In Dissonance” is a very compact album, well thought through in terms of songwriting, and it sounds fresh and dynamic. The album is well produced. WHITECHAPEL arguably released their best album during the last decade and it is a band on top of their game. The album is a must-have for Deathcore fans.