Whitechapel – “Hymns in Dissonance”

Hymns in Dissonance does deserve a listen, and although it does fall short in a couple of very minor ways, it’s a stunning return to Whitechapel’s roots.

Release date: March 7, 2025 | Metal Blade Records | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp | Spotify

Over the past few years, Whitechapel has been consistently leaning more towards a more experimental and progressive metal focused sound, taking inspiration from bands like Katatonia and Tool. This sound isn’t bad by any means, they execute it fairly well, and experimentation is always welcome. However, it’s not to my personal taste, and regardless it was nice to see them branch out.

So it was really exciting to hear that they were going back to (at least for an album) the This is Exile era sound. I’m going to preface this with that I do think Hymns in Dissonance is an objectively good album – but what I think also matters is context:

1. It’s the direct follow up to This is Exile.
2. It’s the first heavy focused album since The Valley (which I guess is only two albums ago, so I guess it’s not super long ago)

So when reviewing this album, I’m looking at a few specific things in addition to the usual:

1. Does it take what was good about This is Exile and improve on it?
2. Does it feel narratively and conceptually consistent in songwriting (producing and mixing aside)?

Let’s start with the great parts.

I’m a huge fan of Alex Rudinger and while Kin didn’t grab me as an album, I’m always a fan of the way he writes his parts. Kin was no exception. As a result, his absence left some huge shoes to fill. Brandon Zackey fills those shoes with absolutely no problem, and then some. He complements the guitar writing stunningly, and adds interesting fills to keep the rhythm of the song dynamic, while still supporting the rest of the band as drums do.

In addition, this is the first time that the production/engineering was kept in house, which I think is very special – Zach Householder has done a wonderful job.

“A Visceral Retch” didn’t disappoint when it first came out – it had lingerings of the chaotic riffing I had come to love about This is Exile, the tempo changes keep it fresh and fun to listen to.

I also love a good concept album and lyrics are integral to an album’s storytelling (if it has vocals). Phil Bozeman’s vocal performance is stellar as usual, and I was pleasantly surprised by his execution of the concept: ‘The tracks on the record are the hymns, which represent the seven deadly sins, beginning from track three to track ten. Tracks one and two are the introduction.’

With lyrics that deal in the matter of horror, efficacy is dependent on context and execution. Do you want to go the campy route, a la Sanguisugabogg (“Dead as Shit“, “Black Market Vasectomy“) or Ghost (“From the Pinnacle to the Pit“, “Rats“)? Or do you want to go the more profound, thoughtful route, like The Acacia Strain (“Observer“, “The Lucid Dream“)? I absolutely love both – it’s a matter of how committed you are to the bit.

Anything campy that’s unaware of its camp, ends up feeling tacky, regardless of subject matter, like Jared Dines‘ “The Clown“, Bloodlines‘ “Holiness Cries” (made famous on Tiktok with their weird anti-pornography callout) or anything that has an air of profundity but seems to fall short in depth and word choice feels equally cheesy, like “Angel or Alien” by Born of Osiris or “Finite” by Volumes (absolutely no shade to those bands and artists – God knows “Finite” and “Angel or Alien” are bangers regardless of the lyrics).

Phil succeeds in having songs be overt enough with its cardinal sin by using key words and themes, but subtle enough so it takes some thought to piece together which song is tied with which sin.

• “Diabolic Slumber” – Sloth
  • Keywords and phrases:
    • ‘Apathy’
    • ‘Sleep’
    • ‘I’ll never wake up’
• “A Visceral Retch” – Gluttony
  • Keywords and phrases:
    • ‘Consume’
    • ‘Gluttonous’ (that was a freebie)
    • ‘Eat’
    • ‘Insatiable’
• “Hate Cult Ritual” – Wrath
  • Keywords and phrases:
    • ‘Hate’
    • ‘Rage’
    • ‘Murder’
• “The Abysmal Gospel” – Pride
  • • Keywords and phrases:
      • ‘Humility, I shall detest’
      • ‘I am profane, I am omega, the alpha is ripped from his head’
• “Bedlam” – Envy
  • Keywords and phrases/concepts:
    • This one is a little more subtle, let’s look into the concept of envy:
      • ‘According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the struggle aroused by envy has three stages: during the first stage, the envious person attempts to lower another’s reputation; in the middle stage, the envious person receives either “joy at another’s misfortune” (if he succeeds in defaming the other person)…‘ (Wikipedia)
      • The narrator seems to relish in the misfortune of another as seen here:
        • ‘But I know you’re still there so look at me, look at me/Look at me so I can see your dead fucking eyes.‘
        • ‘Can you scream for me? I need to hear it/Louder, louder/Let me hear you scream/I know that you’re in there/Right where you’re supposed to be/I know that you’re scared/Now let me hear you scream.‘
• “Mammoth God” – Greed
  • Keywords, phrases, and concepts:
    • This is pure speculation on my part, but given the content of the lyrics having symbols of wealth and money, ‘Mammoth’ doesn’t seem to be a coincidental word choice, as it sounds very close to ‘Mammon’ (Wikipedia)
    • ‘Eyes of chrome with an essence of gold’
    • ‘A mouth full of diamonds’
    • ‘My greed’ (that was a freebie)
• “Nothing is Coming for Any of Us” – Lust
  • Keywords, phrases, and concepts:
    • ‘Impurity’
    • ‘Seeded’
    • ‘Fertilize/fertile’
    • ‘Lust’ (that was a freebie)
    • ‘Coming‘ (heh – kidding)

Some songs are definitely more overt than others. My favorite in execution is “Bedlam” – you have to dissect it a lot more than the other ones and think about ‘what about this is tied to sin?’ I hope to see more of that lyrical depth in relation to storytelling in future albums as well.

Before talking about the pieces that I felt fell short, I should preface that my judgment may be clouded by nostalgia – what I may take away from the album may not be what you take away, and despite what reservations I do have, it’s worth a listen to see if you agree or disagree (ah, the beauty of subjectivity in art).

Anyway, what I felt fell short:

1. Pristine mapped tempos.
2. Lack of chaotic/tumultuous riffing that made songs like “Father of Lies”, “This is Exile”, and “Exalt” go on constant repeat as a youngun.

Pristine Mapped Tempos vs No Click

Not having a click is what I felt partly gave This is Exile its oppressive, chaotic, and aggressive ebb and flow and a dynamic pocket. This isn’t a requirement by any means and a lot of other bands (if not the majority) produce tempo perfect albums that also have a similar, if not the same, aggressive ebb and flow. But there’s something about imperfection that gives it a je ne sais quoi that feels organic and timeless. Other examples include Slipknot’s self titled and some older records by legacy death metal bands like Cannibal Corpse and Dying Fetus.

Hymns in Dissonance does vary tempos within songs and in doing so, does emulate that dynamic pocket and chaotic push and pull, but it lacks that subtle organic element that This is Exile has.

Single Note Chaotic Riffing vs Chunky Chord Riffing

Both albums are good – both albums bring the meaty riffs. Hymns in Dissonance does seem to favor more chunky power chord riffing – using groove and rhythm to create the general feel of the song. Lord knows that intro riff in “The Abysmal Gospel” is going to make heads roll in the pit. But compare songs like “Prisoner 666”, “The Abysmal Gospel”, and “Hymns in Dissonance” to songs like “Father of Lies”, “This is Exile“, and “Exalt”. You’ll notice the former tends to lean groovier, while the latter feels more angular, disjointed. Of course, This is Exile has its groovier songs like “Possession”, “To All That Are Dead”, and “Somatically Incorrect”, but you’ll also find angular riffing peppered through “Daemon”, “Eternal Refuge”, and “Messiahbolical”.

This is also not to say that This is Exile is the gold standard – Hymns in Dissonance certainly has a streamlined flow and feels easy to listen to, while sometimes I do have a hard time sitting down and listening to This is Exile all in one go – I have certain moments that make me want to repeat it over and over. Hymns in Dissonance also is smarter about how it places its riffs in each song and how it structures each one – This is Exile is sometimes all over the place. However, what made This is Exile so iconic for me, personally, was its twisting and turning, its angular riffing, and its dynamic pocket. I would have loved to see more of it (“A Visceral Retch” does feature some nice angular riffing) in Hymns in Dissonance as This is Exile’s follow-up.

Hymns in Dissonance does deserve a listen, and although it does fall short in a couple of very minor ways, it’s a stunning return to Whitechapel’s roots. I do hope, if they decide to write another heavy album, they re-introduce some of the unpredictability and chaos that This is Exile has. Hymns in Dissonance doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, but if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Sometimes you just need stupid heavy caveman riffs to go unga-bunga. Hymns will most definitely get the job done in that regard.

Band Photo: Alex Morgan | Instagram