Whitechapel – Hymns in Dissonance (Review)

This is the ninth album from US deathcore/death metal band Whitechapel.

I do so enjoy a new Whitechapel album. Our Endless War, Mark of the Blade, The Valley, Kin – take your pick; all Whitechapel albums have something a to offer, and all hit the spot for yours truly. Well, the band are back once more with a new 45-minute album in the shape of Hymns in Dissonance.

Whitechapel have progressed their sound over the years, adding in newer elements and toning down the extremity, while still staying nicely heavy. Does the return of the Whitechapel’s old logo herald a return to their more extreme musical roots? Basically, yes. Hymns in Dissonance is unashamedly brutal. A spiritual successor to 2008’s murderous This Is Exile, Whitechapel don’t hold back. It’s still a product of 2025 though, and the band’s updated skillset since their second album allows them to seamlessly revisit old territories, while doing so with a firm eye on their present capabilities.

It’s a crushingly heavy album. Whitechapel have rarely sounded so powerful or menacing – the production captures it perfectly, allowing the music to attain maximum heaviosity. It’s definitely one of the best productions the band have benefited from. The guitars sound massive, and I love how thick they are. The singer’s assorted growls, screams, and roars sound richer and fuller than ever. Like the mammoth guitars, his voice powers the music with focused intensity.

The songs are huge and filled with scathing aggression, yet Whitechapel have still remembered to bring the hooks that they are known for. The extremity – bloody chunks of death metal and occasional touches of black metal’s serrated claws – is punishing, but this is channelled through songwriting that shows its experience. Whitechapel know how to pen a good heavy tune, only now they have returned to their heavier, more brutal tools to do so.

For those that wished for Whitechapel to sound more deathcore and death metal, then this is for you. I find it hard to believe anyone who’s a fan of brutal extreme metal wouldn’t like this though. Hymns in Dissonance is a really strong album, and although it’s getting ahead of things, I can’t wait to see what they do next. My hope is they merge this aggressive heaviness with some of the more refined methods they have adopted over the last couple of albums. Until then, we have the brutal Hymns of Dissonance, which is more than enough to satisfy.