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.
The Valley | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 29, 2019 | |||
Recorded | 2018 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:33 | |||
Label | Metal Blade | |||
Producer | Mark Lewis | |||
Whitechapel chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Valley | ||||
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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, passed away in 1995[10] when Phil was ten,[11] while his mother struggled with alcoholism and schizophrenia;[12] "When a Demon Defiles a Witch" is an interpretation of one of her visions she wrote down in a journal entry.[13] She eventually remarried, but Bozeman's step-father turned out to be abusive towards both of them: Bozeman has called him a "predator"[14] and holds him responsible for introducing his mother to crack cocaine,[10] which lead to her eventual death[11] via drug overdose.[15][10]
The band's follow-up album, Kin, continues the story.[16]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Consequence of Sound | B+[4] |
Exclaim! | 9/10[5] |
Kerrang! | [6] |
MetalSucks | [7] |
Metal Injection | 9/10[9] |
Track listing edit
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "Sea of Trees" | 2:29 |
Total length: | 42:58 |
Personnel edit
- Whitechapel
- Phil Bozeman – vocals, lyrics
- Ben Savage – lead guitar
- Alex Wade – rhythm guitar
- Gabe Crisp – bass
- Zach Householder – third guitar
- Additional musicians
- Navene Koperweis – drums
- 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
- ^ "Album Review: Whitechapel Reach the Peak of the Mountain with The Valley". MetalSucks. March 12, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Whitechapel The Valley". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel: THE VALLEY". Heavy Mag.
- ^ a b Michael Pementel (March 28, 2019). "Whitechapel – The Valley | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Joe Smith-Engelhardt (March 28, 2019). "Whitechapel - The Valley - Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Dan Slessor (March 28, 2019). "Album Review: Whitechapel – The Valley — Kerrang!". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Phil Boozeman (March 12, 2019). "Whitechapel Reach the Peak of the Mountain with The Valley". MetalSucks. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Best Metal Albums of 2019". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. December 3, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Sol (April 10, 2019). "Album Review: WHITECHAPEL The Valley". Metal Injection. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Whitechapel's Phil Bozeman: My Life Story". Revolver. October 25, 2021.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Kaufman, Spencer (March 29, 2019). "Whitechapel's Phil Bozeman on New Album The Valley and Opening Up About His Childhood".
- ^ "The True Story Behind Whitechapel's Chilling New Album Opener". Kerrang!.
- ^ "WHITECHAPEL | New Album "The Valley" [INTERVIEW]" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Padmore, Billy (March 28, 2019). "Hardbeat - Unleashing The Underground - Album Review: Whitechapel – The Valley". Hardbeat - Unleashing The Underground.
- ^ "Whitechapel - Kin - Art Analysis with Ben Savage" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Whitechapel – The Valley" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Whitechapel – The Valley" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Whitechapel – The Valley". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
- ^ "Whitechapel Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2019.