The Valley (Whitechapel album)

Last updated

The Valley
Whitechapel-TheValley.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 29, 2019
Recorded2018
Genre
Length40:33
Label Metal Blade
Producer Mark 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.

Contents

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

Composition

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 third 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 Sound B+ [4]
Exclaim! 9/10 [5]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
MetalSucks Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Metal Injection9/10 [9]

Track listing

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

Whitechapel
Additional musicians
Production
Artwork and design

Charts

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

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References

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