Veteran Metal band Whitechapel are currently working on a brand new music. What will mark their ninth studio album, ahead of that, Metal Blade are releasing Live in the Valley on January 26, 2024. Their second ever live album, it is from a live performance recording of a show that focused on their two most recent albums; 2019’s The Valley and 2021’s Kin.
Interestingly enough, the album was recorded at their seventh annual Christmas benefit in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee back in December of 2022. Featuring vocals by Phil Bozeman, lead guitar by Ben Savage, rhythm guitar by Alex Wade, further guitar by Zach Householder (who also recorded and produced this live album), and bass by Gabe Crisp, though hearing a well-recorded live version of In the Valley along with Kin (as well as a few choice tracks from other albums) would have been interesting in its own right… there is also an extra twist in that the set order is far from predictable; making for interesting contrasts.
While the live album is all about the entertainment of hearing a compelling performance, there is a wider context in which this recording continues to tell the story of Whitechapel’s evolution and marks an important milestone for them. It captures and solidifies some of their recent stages of growth. 2019’s In the Valley and 2021’s Kin have a close relationship. What we hear on those albums is not only a digging deeper in terms of songwriting, but a branching outward in style, encompassing more melodic elements, both in orchestration and in vocals. In the Valley began to incorporate an even more foundational use of melody to tell the stories embedded in the songs, and that was accompanied by Bozeman starting to move between screaming and clean vocals on certain tracks. When the time came around to work on Kin, that evolution was even more complete.
The planning behind making the recording in 2022 also encompassed recording two live music videos which capture the atmosphere of the show. One of those videos that has been released is “Lost Boy” (created by Marshall Wieczorek). It makes for a gripping introduction to the performance that night, and also to the live album. It reveals what made this a great venue for recording, in that it is a fairly large space that still preserves an intimate feel. The song itself shows an interesting mix of sonic elements delivered by the band, and while it features predominantly screamed vocals, the intrusion of almost spoken-word elements in places forms a link to other tracks with more melodic vocals.
Looking at the live album further, relatively early in the set they perform “Hickory Creek”; a song that is very personal to Bozeman, dedicated to his late mother, as well as one that Whitechapel have released acoustically. In this hometown setting, we can hear Bozeman introducing the track about “a road here in Knoxville” and encouraging fans to sing along with him. Though this song is a gentler composition, even “Hickory Creek” has wailing guitar solos bringing the drama, and drums that are particularly intense in this live setting.
Beyond this, another solid example of pioneering work from Whitechapel during this live show is “Anticure” whose deeply melodic elements support an alternation between screamed and clean vocals. This really resonates with the dualities of attitude in the song; expressing both pain and resistance.
Listening to Live In The Valley expresses a lot about where the band have been creatively during a particularly explosive period of their career. That said it also suggests a lot of exciting directions for their future as they continue building on experimental directions. For all these reasons, Cryptic Rock gives Live In The Valley 4 out of 5 stars.
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