On March 7, 2025, Whitechapel ripped the veil wide open with Hymns in Dissonance — their ninth studio album and easily one of the most unrelenting slabs of deathcore they’ve crafted in over a decade. After taking a cleaner, more experimental turn on The Valley (2019) and Kin (2021), many wondered if the Tennessee sextet had mellowed out. That answer is now carved in granite: hell no.
From Kin to Chaos Why This Album Feels Like a Reset
If Kin was Whitechapel peering into emotional depth and progressive terrain, Hymns in Dissonance is them slamming the coffin lid on introspection and dragging your face through a meat grinder. Gone are the melodic choruses and acoustic interludes. This is a return to pure, feral violence. Think Somatic Defilement energy with modern finesse. It’s a spiritual and sonic purge.
Concept and Lyrical Themes
Concept and Lyrical ThemesRituals Death Cults and Dissonant Hymns
The album doesn’t just go heavy — it goes dark. Lyrically, Hymns in Dissonance paints a cryptic and brutal world soaked in ritualistic depravity, psychosis, and the collapse of sanity. There are references to cult-like dogma, human sacrifice, possession, and societal decay scattered like burnt pages from a cursed scripture. Phil Bozeman pulls no punches; his lyrics feel like sermons from the abyss.
The Story Arc and Allegorical Mayhem
There’s a loose thematic thread through the tracks, with elements of existential dread, nihilism, and spiritual rot. The characters within the songs seem to descend, track by track, into a Lovecraftian hellscape — from the sleep-deprived torments of Diabolic Slumber to the horrifying acceptance in the closer Nothing Is Coming For Any Of Us. It’s not a concept album per se, but it bleeds like one.
Sound and Production
Return to Pure Deathcore Roots
Whitechapel hasn’t sounded this focused and merciless in years. The clean vocals are all but gone, replaced with an avalanche of double-kick blasts, jagged down-tuned riffs, and slamming breakdowns that feel like tectonic shifts. The band doubles down on what they do best: dissonance, dynamics, and domination.
Guitars Drums and Mixing Mastery
The production by Mark Lewis (a longtime collaborator) is thick but not suffocating. The triple guitar assault of Alex Wade, Ben Savage, and Zach Householder rips through like a flamethrower-wielding Cerberus. The drums (handled by Navene Koperweis in-studio) are surgical yet chaotic, creating an overwhelming wall of percussive punishment. Bassist Gabe Crisp gives the low end enough filth to coat a sewer grate.
Comparison with Previous Albums
How This Measures Against Kin and The Valley
This is a full about-face from their last two albums. While Kin explored melodic vulnerability and introspection, Hymns in Dissonance rejects all sentimentality. It’s sharper, colder, and far more violent. Fans who missed the rawness will feel vindicated.
Influences from Somatic Defilement Era
There’s DNA from their earliest works — particularly Somatic Defilement and This Is Exile — but this isn’t a rehash. It’s an evolved brutality, sharpened by years of experimentation. Think of it as classic Whitechapel, but enhanced with surgical tightness and modern dread.
Overall Score and Future Expectations
Hymns in Dissonance is a triumphant reminder that Whitechapel is still a dominant force in extreme metal. They’ve proven they can evolve, regress, and then evolve again — and it all feels authentic. This album isn’t for the faint of heart, and it’s not here to coddle anyone.
