The Valley is the seventh studio album by American deathcore band Whitechapel. It was released through Metal Blade Records on March 29, 2019 to very positive reviews.[4][5][6][7] On April 14, 2020, an acoustic version of "Hickory Creek" was released. It marks the first Whitechapel song to include entirely clean vocals.
| The Valley | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 29, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:33 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Mark Lewis | |||
| Whitechapel chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Valley | ||||
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Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.[8]
Composition
editThe Valley is a concept album based on vocalist and writer Phil Bozeman's childhood; the title is a reference to Hardin Valley, Tennessee, where Bozeman grew up.[9] His father, Michael Gary Bozeman, suddenly passed away on December 30, 1995,[10] when Phil was ten.[11] His mother, Theresa, already struggled with alcoholism and schizophrenia;[12] the album's opening song, "When a Demon Defiles a Witch", is an interpretation of one of her visions she wrote down in a journal entry.[13] Theresa eventually remarried, but Bozeman's step-father was abusive toward both of them,[12] with Phil referring to the man as a "predator"[14] and holding him responsible for introducing his mother to crack cocaine.[10] Theresa eventually died from a drug overdose in 2000.[10][15]
The Valley continues Bozeman's experiments with clean vocals,[4][13] and slightly distances Whitechapel from their signature deathcore style.[4] The vocals on the fourth track, "Hickory Creek", are exclusively sung.[5] As a whole, the record has been variously described as deathcore,[1] progressive metal,[2] and groove metal.[3] The band's follow-up album, Kin, continues Bozeman's story,[16] and features much more extensive use of singing.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Consequence of Sound | B [4] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[5] |
| Kerrang! |   [6] |
| MetalSucks |  [7] |
| Metal Injection | 9/10[9] |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When a Demon Defiles a Witch" | 5:04 |
| 2. | "Forgiveness Is Weakness" | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Brimstone" | 3:25 |
| 4. | "Hickory Creek" | 4:56 |
| 5. | "Black Bear" | 3:08 |
| 6. | "We Are One" | 3:58 |
| 7. | "The Other Side" | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Third Depth" | 4:07 |
| 9. | "Lovelace" | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Doom Woods" | 5:51 |
| Total length: | 40:33 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Sea of Trees" | 2:29 |
| Total length: | 42:58 | |
Personnel
edit- Whitechapel
- Phil Bozeman – vocals
- Ben Savage – lead guitar
- Alex Wade – rhythm guitar
- Zach Householder – third guitar
- Gabe Crisp – bass
- Additional musicians
- Navene Koperweis – drums
- Production
- Mark Lewis – production, engineering
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- David Castillo – mixing
- Artwork and design
- Branca Studio – artwork, layout
- Phil Savage – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[17] | 15 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] | 36 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] | 27 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 46 |
| US Billboard 200[21] | 143 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[22] | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] | 26 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Album Review: Whitechapel Reach the Peak of the Mountain with The Valley". MetalSucks. March 12, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Whitechapel The Valley". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Whitechapel: THE VALLEY". Heavy Mag.
- ^ a b c d Michael Pementel (March 28, 2019). "Whitechapel – The Valley | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c Joe Smith-Engelhardt (March 28, 2019). "Whitechapel – The Valley – Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Dan Slessor (March 28, 2019). "Album Review: Whitechapel – The Valley — Kerrang!". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Phil Boozeman (March 12, 2019). "Whitechapel Reach the Peak of the Mountain with The Valley". MetalSucks. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Best Metal Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 3, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Sol (April 10, 2019). "Album Review: WHITECHAPEL The Valley". Metal Injection. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Whitechapel's Phil Bozeman: My Life Story". Revolver. October 25, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ Sievers, Alex. "Album Review: Whitechapel – 'The Valley' | KillYourStereo | Australian and International Punk, Hardcore, Metal, Rock and Indie Music News, Reviews, Interviews and Comps". killyourstereo.com.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Spencer (March 29, 2019). "Whitechapel's Phil Bozeman on new album The Valley and opening up about his childhood". Consequence. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "The True Story Behind Whitechapel's Chilling New Album Opener". Kerrang!.
- ^ "WHITECHAPEL | New Album "The Valley" [INTERVIEW]" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Padmore, Billy (March 28, 2019). "Hardbeat – Unleashing The Underground – Album Review: Whitechapel – The Valley". Hardbeat – Unleashing The Underground.
- ^ "Whitechapel – Kin – Art Analysis with Ben Savage" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Whitechapel – The Valley" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Whitechapel – The Valley" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Whitechapel – The Valley". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
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