Death-grind hardcore outfit Whitechapel is the kind of band that makes aspiring musicians sick with envy. The Knoxville, Tennessee, sextet has accomplished more in their two years together than many bands manage in 10 times that. With wide acclaim for their independent effort, The Somatic Defilement, to endless touring throughout 2008 and even stronger commendations for sophomore full-length (and Metal Blade records debut) This is Exile, vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Alex Wade, Ben Savage and Zach Householder, bassist Gabe Crisp and drummer Kevin Lane are on a path to metallic success they can barely fathom.
“If you’d have told me [back when we started] that we’d be this far [this soon], I’d never have believed a word of it in a million years,” admits Wade. “We’re excited that we’re successful at doing what we love, and it’s better than having nothing going on at all. If we can make it through it all, we’ll be survivors.”
To capitalize on this success, the band is mounting an exhaustive North American tour, but the hard work doesn’t frighten them — though they’re not exactly fast tracking their way to the top of the heavy metal landscape. Wade says that it has taken endless hard work for the band to reach its current level. Their stint on the Canadian leg of the Summer Slaughter heavy metal festival has them cast purely as openers; the goal was for the band to pay their dues, get a few more miles under their collective belts and broaden their small-yet-growing fan base.
Yet, with the help of an album that finds them tighter and more consistent than ever before, Whitechapel are rising faster than anyone expected. Propelled by sincerity and urgency, the band’s thunderous breakdowns, hyperactive guitar riffs and New York hardcore-inspired chant-along choruses successfully broach all extreme music barriers. By tearing down these sub-genre walls, This is Exile is spreading like a cancer to the ears of appreciative metalheads and hardcore kids across North America. According to Wade, that was the band’s intent all along — crafting a more refined final product.
“For this album, we set out with a professional mindset,” he says. “We wanted to put out a professional metal album. The first album was a bunch of songs we’d written over the course of a year and slapped together, but this was written with a specific purpose and intent, which made it stronger. We wanted to have something solid — an album that sounded like it was constructed over time instead of thrown together. We wanted to perfect writing, recording and artwork to make it all tie together. I think we achieved that.”
Still, Wade refuses to let the band take all of the credit. One of few acts who acknowledge constructive criticism, he confesses that This is Exile was influenced by some unlikely sources.
“There are a lot of critics that weren’t into the last CD but they like this one,” he chuckles. “The kids have always been into it, though. We’re still the same, staying true to our roots, but we paid attention to the last reviews. For example, a lot of reviews questioned why we have three guitars but no leads. We incorporated those into the new album to make it stronger and more cohesive. We’re always gonna do what we want and not do what someone tells us to; but if it’s constructive, we’ll listen.”
