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The Valley (Whitechapel album)

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The Valley
Studio album by
Whitechapel
ReleasedMarch 29, 2019
Recorded2018
Genre
Length40:33
LabelMetal Blade
ProducerMark Lewis
Whitechapel chronology
Mark of the Blade
(2016) 		The Valley
(2019) 		Kin
(2021)
Singles from The Valley
  1. "Brimstone"
    Released: November 1, 2018
  2. "Black Bear"
    Released: December 13, 2018
  3. "Third Depth"
    Released: January 15, 2019
  4. "When a Demon Defiles a Witch"
    Released: February 20, 2019
  5. "Hickory Creek"
    Released: March 21, 2019
  6. "Doom Woods"
    Released: June 25, 2020

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.

Loudwire named it one of the 50 best metal albums of 2019.[8]

Composition

[edit]

The 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.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundB+[4]
Exclaim!9/10[5]
Kerrang![6]
MetalSucks[7]
Metal Injection9/10[9]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
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
Deluxe and vinyl bonus track
No.TitleLength
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
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]
  1. ^ a b "Album Review: Whitechapel Reach the Peak of the Mountain with The Valley". MetalSucks. March 12, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Whitechapel The Valley". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Whitechapel: THE VALLEY". Heavy Mag.
  4. ^ a b c d Michael Pementel (March 28, 2019). "Whitechapel – The Valley | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Joe Smith-Engelhardt (March 28, 2019). "Whitechapel – The Valley – Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Dan Slessor (March 28, 2019). "Album Review: Whitechapel – The Valley — Kerrang!". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Phil Boozeman (March 12, 2019). "Whitechapel Reach the Peak of the Mountain with The Valley". MetalSucks. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "The 50 Best Metal Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 3, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Sol (April 10, 2019). "Album Review: WHITECHAPEL The Valley". Metal Injection. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c "Whitechapel's Phil Bozeman: My Life Story". Revolver. October 25, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b "The True Story Behind Whitechapel's Chilling New Album Opener". Kerrang!.
  14. ^ "WHITECHAPEL | New Album "The Valley" [INTERVIEW]" – via www.youtube.com.
  15. ^ Padmore, Billy (March 28, 2019). "Hardbeat – Unleashing The Underground – Album Review: Whitechapel – The Valley". Hardbeat – Unleashing The Underground.
  16. ^ "Whitechapel – Kin – Art Analysis with Ben Savage" – via www.youtube.com.
  17. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Whitechapel – The Valley" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Whitechapel – The Valley" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Whitechapel – The Valley". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  21. ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  22. ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  23. ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.


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